Saturday 8 February 2014

If it was never new, and it never gets old, then it's a folk song.

-- Inside Llewyn Davis (2013).


I liked the cat.


I really liked the cat. And John Goodman, but I always like John Goodman. Most of all though, I liked the cat. No I'm kidding, I actually really enjoyed the Coen Brothers new flick.

Inside Llewyn Davis follows a week in the life of Davis, a struggling young folk singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. The film stars Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan and John Goodman with Justin Timberlake and the beautiful Garrett Hedlund thrown in for a bit of eye candy. I'm not really one for folk music, but I have to say the soundtrack to this film is outstanding. Aside from a Bob Dylan track it's choc full to the brim with modern recordings of traditional songs.  

JT really suits that beard. No?

Llweyn himself is a frustrating character, very well acted by Isaacs, I wanted to punch him in the face about 20 minutes in. He is stuck in a self-made destructive cycle, going nowhere but refusing to so anything but chase his dream. I have to be a little sympathetic to this, it's admiring to an extent for someone to refuse to do anything other than what he loves, but society just doesn't quite work that way and Davis resorts to couch surfing and borrowing money as opposed to hitting reality. I found myself rooting for him, despite being annoyed.

I'm always annoyed at something, anyway. 


John Goodman has always been a favourite of mine, from Fred Flintstone, to my all time fave Walt in The Big Lebowski to Violet's dad in Coyote Ugly, I've always loved his acting. Inside Llewyn Davis is no different. He plays a very small bit role, but leaves a lasting impression on both Davis and us.


No character in this film is likeable. Except the cat. If you need films filled with driven characters, following stable plot lines that end up wrapped in a nice complete bundle at the end... prepare to leave the cinema frustrated. 

I liked the cat. You'll probably like the cat too.

Have you seen Inside Llewyn Davis?

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x

2 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed this film! I love the Coen brothers and the fact that a lot of their films don't really have a point, they're just a story about a moment in a character's life. x

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  2. It sounds interesting, I think I'd definitely enjoy the soundtrack so will have to check that out. I don't get to see many films in the cinema, I usually end up waiting until they come out on DVD due to differing work shifts between my boyfriend and I. xxx

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