Inside Llewyn Davis

Release Date – Thursday 16th January 2014

About halfway through this new Coen Brothers effort I turned to my wife who was gritting her teeth beside me and whispered – “Do you remember we walked out of the last movie of theirs…?”

Technically speaking it wasn’t their previous film True Grit, but 2009’s A Serious Man. Having thoroughly enjoyed Burn After Reading and No Country For Old Men I considered myself a fan of their writing and directing.

With Inside Llewyn Davis behind me though, I’m reconsidering my position.

Yes it’s a week in the life of a folk music scene “also-ran”, and I’m no fan of that kind of music, sp it was always going to be a big ask to love this film. But in the face of plenty of accolades including five star reviews and Award nominations, I had good reason for high expectations.

The art direction is fabulous, the performances solid, it’s just the dreariest story anyone could think up about a glum no-hoper who is never going to make it.

There are some laughs, particularly from John Goodman, but on the whole its a truly dismal affair.

I struggled to care a fig about what happened to Mr Davis. And when the film ended with the same sequence as the beginning it was hardly a surprise because he was not a character capable of learning or growing or changing.

Granted it was a period of just one week, but it felt like years had dragged by.

If you want to see a funny, entertaining movie about a fictional folk music artist, you can’t go past the Christopher Guest piece A Mighty Wind.

Next.

2 & 1/2 Stars.