Inside Llewyn Davis MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +2 Content: -4

Oscar Isaac, Cary Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman. Dark comedy. Written and directed by Ethan and Joel Coen.

FILM SYNOPSIS: A week in the life of a young singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. He’s gifted in music, though he can’t seem to get very far as it is nearing the end for his kind of folk music (Bob Dylan is just coming onto the music scene). The real tragedy is that he doesn’t seem to have much character. He’s a user and short of compassion. For example: he’s bummed a ride (he does a lot of bumming), but when the driver is pulled over and arrested, Llewyn leaves a fellow passenger, a sleeping, sick, old man unable to walk unassisted, in the backseat, to fend for himself when he awakes. While this may be an example of the Coens’ black-as-the-abyss humor, it reveals a man devoid of a soul.

PREVIEW REVIEW: There are exceptions to the rule, but it’s awfully hard to like a movie where there are no likable characters. The lead is so disconnected with others, so self-involved that it is hard to root for him. But then, the side characters are just as unsympathetic.

The Coen brothers pay great attention to detail concerning the look of the film, and their biting social commentary is evident in every quip. It is a film hard to ignore as it is so well constructed. The music is great, with Mr. Isaac revealing a charismatic musical presence. But, make a long story short, there isn’t anything of spiritual substance inside the film’s ne'er-do-well lead character.

There are critics finding more relevance to this effort than I did. And I must admit that my perception is peppered by a lack of interest in spending time with crude, vulgar and profane screen characters. While I can marvel at the filmmakers’ craftsmanship and the cast’s ability to convey mood swings and their agility with bleak buffoonery, still I was left cold by film’s end. While I’ve had my share of frustrations and failures in my own chosen field, there is nothing inside Llewyn Davis’ gritty nastiness that I found relatable or learnable.

Preview Reviewer: Phil Boatwright
Distributor: CBS Films