Written and directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, the film stars Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, and Justin Timberlake. Llewyn Davis (Isaac) is a struggling folk musician in 1960s Greenwich Village. After the suicide of his singing partner, Llewyn struggles to establish himself as a solo act in a virtually un-marketable genre. Complicating things is his relationship with Jean (Mulligan), a friend's wife with whom he had an affair and possibly got pregnant. The film is essentially a character study of the protagonist -- someone who thinks of music as much more than a hobby, and thus struggles to be taken seriously -- and analyzes the sacrifices a musician must make for the sake of his art. The film is filled with literary and cultural metaphors, the most evident being the orange cat Llewyn rescues (the cutest part of the film, by the way). At first, I was disappointed in the film. Since it is so critically acclaimed, I expected a lot more. There was no concrete plot, and left me asking Why is all of this important? For what did I spend two hours watching you? After distancing myself from the film for a few days and reflecting upon it more carefully, I've come to appreciate its uniqueness. I see now that not having a complex plot allows for greater character development, and that's just what the Coen brothers are going for here: "a day in the life of." It is not one of the best films I've seen this year, but Inside Llewyn Davis is intelligent entertainment.
Should you see it: Yes
Grade: B
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