The Coen brothers are undoubtedly masters of comedy. I find a lot of humor in how their characters talk, their turns of phrase: Walter Sobchak's "You're outta your element, Donnie!"; Delmar O'Donnell's "Well, you and me was fixin' to fornicate!"; Rooster Cogburn's "You are not LaBoeuf", etc etc. Nobody creates characters through the use of colorful language in quite the same way as the Coen brothers.
But underneath the mirth in their films is clear streak of sadness and violence. Fargo, for example, is a highly uncomfortable and depressing film. A Serious Man is basically about how an innocent man's life goes to shit for no reason. And don't get me started on the deep cynicism of No Country for Old Men.
Inside Llewyn Davis proves to exist in a middle space between the flat-out comedy of The Big Lebowski and the darkness of No Country. Although there are comedic moments, Inside Llewyn Davis has a distinctly melancholic flavor. That's probably because it's about a man who is destined not to succeed, despite his great talent.
The title character, Llewyn Davis, is a folk singer whose partner committed suicide. Unemployed, sleeping on begrudging friends' couches, Llewyn goes from gig to gig, barely scraping by. But he's not a noble, hard-working hero who is simply down on his luck. Llewyn is blatantly misanthropic, aimless, and liable to bite and gnaw on the very hands that feed him. He is indeed talented, with a beautiful voice and capable song-writing abilities, but in the words of the singer who will wipe away Llewyn's kind, "The times, they are a-changin'", and Llewyn's musical style is no longer en vogue.
Like Llewyn, the film is a bit aimless as well. There is a journey to Chicago, where Llewyn (played with the perfect mixture of vulnerability and curmudgeonliness by Oscar Isaac) meets a record producer who doesn't sugarcoat the fact that Llewyn's music will never make any money. There's a girl, Jean (Cary Mulligan, wearing extremely unflattering sweaters), who is carrying Llewyn's unwanted child and is preparing to have an abortion. And there's the Gaslight Cafe in Greenwich Village, where Llewyn plays for a pittance (literally, musicians pass a basket around, and probably make just enough for cab fare home). Even though the film is strewn with disappointments, I kind of liked it because it was realistic. Probably most artists, even ones with talent, face this kind of life. Starving artists are kind of like monks--vows of poverty in exchange for their God-given talents.
Inside Llewyn Davis is not my favorite Coen brothers movie. But it's still a solidly good film. And, boy, the music is gorgeous. My favorite song from the film was "If We Had Wings"--a song Llewyn recorded with his since deceased partner, Mike. It's melancholy and hopeful at the same time. A bit like the film itself.
4 out of 5 stars
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