Review: Inside Llewyn Davis (Movie)

I must be on a nostalgia kick. Earlier this week I wrote about a book that takes us back to 1963 and today I'm writing about a movie that returns us to 1961. The common tie? Music.

Although I like a wide range of music, I am and always have been attracted to acoustical music, including traditional songs and much of the folk music of the sixties. When I heard that the Coen brothers' latest movie was loosely based on Dave Van Ronk's early days in the Village, I knew I had to see Inside Llewyn Davis.

After I listened to some of the soundtrack, I was already in love. Among the performers are Justine Timberlake, Marcus Mumford, Oscar Isaac, and Bob Dylan. The music ranges from classical to traditional folk, with more contemporary songs written by artists such as Tom Paxon and the Reverend Gary Davis; some pieces (I think) were written for the film.

I'm a huge fan of the Coen brothers', who have written and directed some of my all-time favorite movies (O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Fargo, No Country for Old Men, Miller's Crossing). Thus I entered the theater with high expectations.

Fortunately, the Coens didn't let me down. The movie is beautifully filmed, and the period details (cars, clothes, and so on) seemed perfect. Although Llewyn can be hard to like at times, he's young, talented, and hoping to make a living off his lifelong passion. If you have an interest in the early sixties and a love of the music, the movie is well worth your time.

As I noted, many of the details of Llewyn's experience as a budding musician in the West Village are based on Van Ronk's life (read his autobiography, Mayor of MacDougal Street; see the cover of his early album Inside Dave Van Ronk), but Llewyn seems more self-centered and less generous than Van Ronk was supposed to have been. On the other hand, the film focuses on just a few days in the life of a frustrated musician and wasn't intended to be strictly biographical.

To get a taste for the movie and the music, take a look at the trailer.