MovieChat Forums > Inside Llewyn Davis (2014) Discussion > It was boring. Why no one* admits that?

It was boring. Why no one* admits that?


Don't get me wrong, I love the Coens. I've seen almost all of their movies and I like most of them. Even the less good ones are still 6/10 in my book. But I don't understand why this one is praised so much. High user rating and extremely high critics rating. I'd give it a 5/10.

Of course it's not bad in any sense. Coens can't do a honestly bad movie. The dialogues, the characters are O.K., good acting, nicely filmed etc., etc., I just don't know what to enjoy in this one. Little of Coen's black humour, little of funny situations, no tension, and the story is uninteresting.

"Why no one admits that?" --> this question wasn't meant for everybody. I'm sure half of the praisers are actually enjoyed it for whatever reason, but I'm also sure there's another half who didn't and acts like they did because it's the Coens and they look smarter enjoying an "art" movie.

*EDIT 2015.12.26.: English is not my first language. Incorrect word "noone" was fixed. It confused some people who didn't understand the point, and kept pointing it out for almost two years.

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[deleted]

I think it's to do with not having a plot.
It's a mood piece.


I got autographs to sign.

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yeah the thing with 'mood pieces' is that moods are contagious. when a character is yawning, hasn't had a good nights sleep, and is sore from travelling in a car for days...the audience is going to feel exhausted too

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Audiences are a big test in Moviedom I agree and ILD just couldn't hold them so yeah.... but I find his journey fascinating and there is a lot gone into it so...
On the other hand if that's how you feel whatever you do don't look at that painting called 'The Scream' by Edvard Munch or you'll start running around screaming and holding your head while the whole world turns into carnival colors.
Cheers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scream

I'll be part of this world.

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SPOILERS*
I'll be honest, I didn't realise that at the end it was Dylan playing (I'm not a Dylan fan, but I am 35yrs old and my wife is). Had this connection not been made I think I would have lost a great point of the film, so I think to enjoy it somewhat you need to be schooled a little in this period of time/setting.

And yes, seems to be a 'mood piece', but personally I feel it is rather dull and full of red herrings. Maybe it's my expectations (seeing as it's Coen bro's). His adventure to Chicago had a feeling of something very important was going to happen, instead all the pitstops and other moments didn't really go anywhere. It was a bit boring.

Not really sure what was the intended message if any (even mood pieces have a point).

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I didn't love this film, but I enjoyed it (the audience I saw it with were cracking up at every moment, which to me seems to miss the point, but I guess Brits and their mordant humour). I think the "it didn't really go anywhere" is kind of what the Coens were getting at. They wanted to portray the life of someone whose life wasn't really going anywhere. I can kind of understand why that might be considered kind of boring. Even though it's the point. Classic Coen bros shenanigans.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What would you do if I died today?


I'd die tomorrow.

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rofl WHAT?! you didnt recognize dylan? how?

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What difference would it make anyway. Very minor plot point.

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His adventure to Chicago had a feeling of something very important was going to happen, instead all the pitstops and other moments didn't really go anywhere.


But therein lies the humour. So much of comedy is about setting up expectations and then undermining them.

We sit there for a couple of minutes as LD plays his song to Bud Grossman (F Murray Abraham), with the camera slowly zooming in. In film language, it's suggesting to the audience that he's being drawn in and won over, and that this will be LD's break. But no, Grossman just gives him a, 'I don't see a lot of money here'.

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I think the film itself "wasn't meant for everybody." Probably the people who enjoyed it most, are Dylan fans, folk music fans from back in the day, or other people familiar and interested in the early 60s folk scene in Greenwich Village.

People who know of and are already familiar with Dave Van Ronk, Phil Ochs, etc..

Which pretty much means old, baby boomers like me. And younger types, still interested in learning about that particular music scene. I really enjoyed the film and thought it was good, not great, but perhaps even very good. However in all honesty, I am not sure I would be saying that if I were not so familiar with the era, music and locale the film deals with.

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The early 60's folk music scene isn't a particularly interesting one to anyone but baby boomers and if someone wants to watch a film about it and its legacy there are far better such as A Mighty Wind.

"Without getting into my job, yes I am a writer" - AlexDuran

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My son loved this movie. I really enjoyed Mighty Wind but this movie brought me back to the mood of this time period with its concept that you too could up on stage and sing...and if you were lucky, make a record...and luckier yet, make it big. Good folk singers are writers, not just people with good voices. And many of us tended to *write* then.

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It wasn't beautiful looking directly at it in bright light but it had its angles. However, in my opinion, A Mighty Wind blows. 6/10

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I completely disagree that only baby boomers are interested that scene. I think any who likes modern music or who plays music of any kind is interested in that kind of stuff, especially considering how influential Dylan is/was.

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According to Google Trends:

Search Term/Result
-----------------
"1960's Greenwich Village Folk Music Scene"/Not enough search volume to show graphs

"1960's Folk Music Scene"/Not enough search volume to show graphs

"Folk Music Scene"/Regional interest-Not enough search volume to show results.

"Folk Music"/A downward trending line with its highest point in March 2004 with a measurement of 100, to its current measurement of 23

https://support.google.com/trends/answer/4355164?hl=en&ref_topic=4365531


"Without getting into my job, yes I am a writer" - AlexDuran

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I'm sure rap in the future will be the only art form left because it is so great. If you've never heard melody in your life you won't miss it. Ugh, the times we live in, and the ever uglier future we have to look forward to.

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I'm younger than a baby boomer and really liked this movie too, I didn't find it boring at all. I find slower paced movies very interesting as they allow the viewer to absorb all the details and dialogue. I have respect for Dylan but I am interested in any kind of musician's struggle and this was a realistic look at one with a lot of great symbolism and time period setting as well. I liked this actor's musical performance a lot, he has a great voice and delivery, very easy on the eyes also. Another good movie about musicians, one struggling and one successful (and the relationship between these two sisters, one of whom is a dug addict) is Georgia. Jennifer Jason Leigh and Mare Winningham, a real country music singer, were great in that one.

When you get up in the morning, how do you decide what shade of black to wear? (Shallow Grave)

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I'm 26 and I read and listen almost everything about the 60s folk scene. To think that only old people care about folk music is stupid

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Probably the people who enjoyed it most are Dylan fans, folk music fans from back in the day, or other people familiar and interested in the early 60s folk scene in Greenwich Village.

I'm a Dylan fan, a big-time folk music fan, and although not quite old enough to go to Greenwich Village in the early 60s, my sister did, and I was jealous.

I have immensely enjoyed every other Coen brothers film, save for one or two that I enjoy less immensely but still liked. Llewyn Davis left me totally flat. Perhaps it's partly because Oscar Isaac reminds me of Joaquin Phoenix, of whom I am not a big fan.

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24 years old and i loved this movie, the music, the period, the feeling everything was amazing

i grew up with alot of 60s-70's folk music because of my boomer parents

ayy

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I don't know.. sometimes films just work for you, sometimes they don't, in can often be quite hard to define why. This is my favourite Coen film for quite a while actually, they're quite hit and miss for me. I wouldn't call them art film directors either though to be honest, they sit somewhere between art house and mainstream Hollywood really.

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Who's Noone?

Listen to the river sing sweet songs
to rock my soul

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I guess one would have to have lived in that era to know the answer to that question:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Noone

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I've seen all the movies on your list with the exception of Raising Arizona. And I've enjoyed all of them more than Inside Llewyn Davis. Not by a large margin though; The Hudsucker Proxy and O Brother... were almost as boring for as this one. For me, at least.

Gravity was OK, we agree that it is overrated.

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@ zee944 ; i just finished attempting to re-watch Inside Llewyn Davis and it's pretty boring for me now as i could not finish re-watching it as i killed it 50min into it on a re-watch as it's just boring in all honesty.

the only thing that it did have going for it at times was the music.

It was boring. Why noone admits that?


based on my initial viewing, which i made a post in here, i did like it but i could not even finish re-watching it as i was surprised it dropped off as much as it did. i killed it 50minutes into the re-watch.

so i agree with you now. but with that said.. some of the music is decent though but that's about it.

now the Coen's rank like this for me...

1.No Country for Old Men (2007) - 9/10
2.Blood Simple (1984) - 8/10
-.True Grit (2010)
4.The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
5.Barton Fink (1991) - 7.5-8/10
6.O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) - 7.5/10 (maybe a 8)
7.Raising Arizona (1987) - 6.5-7/10
-.The Big Lebowski (1998)
9.Fargo (1996)
10.Burn After Reading (2008)

11.Miller's Crossing (1990) - 6/10 (Thumbs Down)
12.Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
13.The Ladykillers (2004)

14.Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) - 4/10 MAX (total failure. it's boring. although i did like this on my initial viewing but dropped off a cliff on a re-watch)
15.The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) (could not finish watching because it was boring)
16.A Serious Man (2009) (could not finish watching because it was boring)



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My IMDb Movie Lists etc = http://goo.gl/pZ8XG
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No country - is it any better than a half- weird action movie Assassins? At least they didn't lug heavy artillery in the latter.

my vote history:
http://www.imdb.com/user/ur13767631/ratings

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[deleted]

I'd say the film's quality is due to the Coen's overall ability in every department of making a film. They got great performances, even musical ones, from Isaac and Timberlake. The narrative as always was typically Coen and interesting but most of all it simply demonstrated that aspirations don't always come true, a kind of *beep* you to the Hollywood endings of mainstream films. I wrote a review on it if anyone wants to check it out.

http://alphashadowsblog.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/inside-llewyn-davis-film-review/

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[deleted]

I couldn't stand this moody thing. Just not for me, I guess.

After all the pre-movie hype, and the concert, and the great performances, the actual movie was just dull & depressing.


No thanks.

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Lol at Burn After Reading being 'horrible'. Try not to take your subjective opinion too highly. Things like Troll 2 and Super Mario Bros are horrible, imo. The notion that Burn After Reading is as well is pure stupidity.

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[deleted]

Lol, do you realize you sound like a pretentious douchebag?
I know because I study Pretentious Douchebaginess

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Lol, you're a fumbling idiot

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[deleted]

Yeah, as she works with the mentally retarded.

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