Inside Llewen Davis

Inside Llewen Davis began with a solid start. There was fresh comedy, attention-grabbing songs, and top-notch performances from Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, and Justin Timberlake. After a while though, it seems like the Coen Brothers must've run out of ideas, because about 40 minutes in, the film took a total turn for the worse, and everything I was enjoying about it went away. I guess it's another one of 2013's cinematic letdowns.

Folk singer Llewen Davis (Oscar Isaac) is struggling to get noticed after his partner commits suicide. He's shown to have little motivation, and if anyone were to ask him "How bad do you want this?" he probably wouldn't give a convincing answer. He plays small gigs to make enough to get by and stays on the couches of associates, acquaintances, and even people he's just met due to his lack of a dwelling place. He oftentimes finds himself residing with his fellow folk-singer friends Jim and Jean (Justin Timberlake and Carey Mulligan) or the apartment of an older college professor and his wife.

Llewen starts collaborating with Jim to produce a record he's sure will be a hit, while his most recent album, entitled "Inside Llewen Davis," is having a hard time being sold. Meanwhile, he overstays his welcome at the professor's apartment, and because Jean has lost all respect for Llewen, he hitches a ride to Chicago to try and sell his record again. I was enjoying every minute of Inside Llewen Davis until the decision was made to bring Llewen outside of New York and temporarily replace Mulligan (who was probably the best part about the movie) and Timberlake with John Goodman and Garret Hedlund.

Once the pair of musicians played by Hedlund and Goodman pick up Llewen on their way to Chicago, the movie became extremely (and I know I've used this word a lot this year) boring. After 40 minutes of magnificent character establishment, near-perfect comedic dialogue, and songs that I'm planning on buying on iTunes, we're placed in a car with two characters we know nothing about and who haven't been properly introduced. The remainder of the movie is mostly devoid of laughs and memorable scenes, and it truly puzzles me how and why the Coen Brothers would set up such a perfect situation for a week in the life of Llewen Davis and then let it come crashing down on itself. I would've been all for recommending this movie had there been more Carey Mulligan, more music, and less melodrama.

The fact that movies like this, Dallas Buyers Club and Nebraska are being considered two of the year's best is telling me just one thing - 2013 was a pretty damn weak year for movies. I'll go ahead and give this movie a positive score, but I think you'll thank me if you walk out of the theater right after you hear the line "Where's his scrotum?"

Rating: 3/5