Inside Llewyn Davis

The Coen brothers in chill-out mode. This not very ambitious but pleasantly relaxing underground flick has no plot, but its atmosphere is excellent in places – especially during the brilliantly edited (including great work with sounds) car journey to Chicago, dominated by the film’s best character (played by John Goodman). As a whole, however, the film is unsatisfactory, it does not give the audience what it is waiting for. Factotum, also a story about an underdog/loser, was formally more conventional, but with more entertaining content. (04/03/2014)

A movie that, in my eyes, makes up for the fact that it talks about unpleasant life situations in an all-too-pleasant way. The steady pace of the episodic narrative is this time not disrupted (in a positive sense) by any exceptional supporting character or any charming filmmaking idea by which the Coens dissect the superficiality and get down to their typical atmospheric poeticism. Isaac is fine and the music is nice, though it will be appreciated mostly by folk enthusiasts older than 80 or so :) 70% (06/02/2017)

The Coen brothers and their ideas are just really fun. It’s true that they don’t always nail it, but that’s the way life is. Some things just don’t turn out well. It might be given by the fact that when it comes to the story and its atmosphere, it’s simply non-interchangeable with anything else in the industry. And I have to admit, I really enjoyed the story of the musician Llewyn Davis. I enjoyed the campfire music he sang there, I liked the cat, but I was also interested in the thought processes that put Oscar Isaac on thin ice one minute after another. I really felt like I was inside that character’s head. And that ending? It was so dreamy… I love this kind of movie endings. If you love Bob Dylan, you’ll like the movie too. The Coen brothers are just good at this. (28/02/2014)

Even though the Coens still have their own poetic style, even though this film has absolutely fantastic music, it is not something I would consider exceptional. The Coens delve into their absurd drama about a singer, we follow his fate, his "success" during one week, but to make the impression stronger, just like him, we also do not find a resolution. Unfortunately, this is not a film that would enchant me, no matter how well-made it may be. (09/02/2014)

And they didn't disappoint again! Those Coens are some crazy bros. Inside Llewyn Davis is a wonderfully melancholic affair that manages to evoke smiles, laughter and moments of tense silence full of subtle emotions. All this accompanied by an excellent soundtrack, perfect actors and an incredibly great passage of the journey to Chicago, in which John Goodman shines in particular and which is one of the best things the Coens have ever written and directed. I was waiting for Bob Dylan to appear in the film the entire time, and still nothing... Then at the end... Or was it at the beginning? Go see for yourself. (26/03/2014)