Written by Joel and Ethan; directed by Ethan and Joel; produced by Joel and Ethan
Llewyn Davis, a folk singer in Greenwich Village in 1961, is crashing on friends’ sofas and pestering his agent for money… Will he have to give up his music and return to the merchant navy?
Seen before? No.
Best performance: Sally Sparrow from Doctor Who gets lots of shouting and swearing to do, but it’s not a huge role.
Coen regulars (running total of appearances): John Goodman (6), in a wig and with an affected voice, crops up for a section in the middle.
Best bit: The comedic Columbia recording session.
Review: Well, there’s plenty of lovely music, often with the songs being played in full. But I found this really quite dull. The first half has been meandering along – neither grippingly nor unpleasantly – but then a lengthy road trip involving John Goodman sucks all the energy out of the film and I just wanted it to end. Characters come and go, but none is especially likeable. A disappointing way to end this 16-movie viewing of the Coens’ canon.
Five cats out of 10.
