Filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen have concocted a droll, darkly sardonic comedy that pivots on the sweet desperation of one week in the life of a folksinger in New York's Greenwich Village, circa 1961. Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) is trying to earn a living as a musician, but it's not working out. Homeless, he often sleeps on a sofa at the Gerfeins (Ethan Phillips, Robin Bartlett) who live near Columbia University. One day, the Gerfeins' cat escapes, igniting a series of escapades that lead Llewyn to also crash with the Berkeys (Justin Timberlake, Carey Mulligan), but that relationship turns out to be complicated. So, guitar in tote, Llewyn takes an ill-fated road trip to Chicago with two strangers (Garrett Hedlund, John Goodman) to audition for a music manager (F. Murray Abraham). Naturally, since this is a Coen brothers film, it's the journey, not the destination, that is important. Isaac is superb as the irritable and eccentric central character, a surly, self-sabotaging misanthrope whose choices are relentlessly self-defeating and result in unrelenting misery. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “making-of” featurette (43 min.) and a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this Oscar-nominated Coen brothers film.] (S. Granger)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—Feb. 9, 2016—Criterion, 104 min., R, DVD: 2 discs, $29.95; Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, 2013's Inside Llewyn Davis features a great transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include audio commentary by authors Robert Christgau, David Hajdu, and Sean Wilentz, “Another Day, Another Time” documentary on the 2013 tribute concert (101 min.), an “Inside” making-of featurette (43 min.), an interview with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and the directing team of the Coen brothers (41 min.), a “Before the Flood” interview with music writer and historian Elijah Wald (20 min.), filmmaker Dan Drasin's 1961 short film “Sunday” (18 min.), “The Way of Folk” interview with the Coens and executive music producer T Bone Burnett (16 min.), trailers, and an essay by film critic Kent Jones. Bottom line: a whopping extras package for this definitive edition of the film.]
Inside Llewyn Davis
Sony, 104 min., R, DVD: $30.99, Blu-ray: $35.99, Mar. 11 Volume 29, Issue 2
Inside Llewyn Davis
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