Inside Llewyn Davis

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⭐10/10

This was a rewatch of one of my all-time favorite movies. It's a movie that made me very annoying for a while. Did you know I learned how to play guitar for like, one year, because of this movie? To this day, I would consider folk to be my preferred genre, and I think that's largley due to this soundtrack. The aesthetic! The soul! Somebody pass me a cigarette. 

I still think this movie is perfect. This was a bit before Oscar Isaac's Hollywood breakout, and man he turns in a sexy performance. He's not a good person, but you can't help but want the best for this down-on-his-luck folk performer with no money, living in a time before widespread anti-depressants. There's a lot of romanticism in his struggle, and I would easily trade my happy life for his miserable one so long as I got to be as sexy as him. 

There's a lot of great one-off characters in this one. Everyone he runs into is full of personality and has interesting things to say. I think that's a Coen bros speciality, and I think nobody exemplifies this better than John Goodman who is only in this movie for 15 minutes but absolutely kills it. Every single one of his lines are hilarious and perfectly written. I think the real question here is if Roland Turner really did use his black magic on Llewyn Davis. "Why is nothing going right for me?"

Still, above all, I think the soundtrack is what makes this movie. Dink's Song,  Hang Me, Shoals of Herring, Queen Jane, even 500 Miles or Mr Kennedy. Absolute masterpiece of a score, and songs I still listen to regularly. Also a really great musical performance by Oscar who should have to choose between musical talent, acting talent, and being sexy (2/3 is fair, 3/3 is unethical). 

Perfect movie. It's not a feel-good movie, maybe even a feel-bad movie, but it will make you think and make you laugh. It's not a movie about someone who is super competent, nor is it a movie about a bafoon. It's a movie about a normal guy with some talent trying to navigate difficult times and not give up on his dream. Ah, good stuff. 

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