How much more do I need to say beyond “It’s the new Coen Brothers movie” to get you interested in Inside Llewyn Davis? The above trailer, posted on Apple, should hook you … if the original (and equally spectacular) red-band teaser didn’t already whet your whistle. Here it is again, just to refresh your memory.
Honestly, if the rhythms of the dialogue, the pacing of the scenery, and the heartbreaking use of Bob Dylan in the red-band clip don’t get your pulse racing for Inside Llewyn Davis, then this movie isn’t for you. And I'm not sure we can be friends.
The new trailer strums different folk music, but bathes in the same period lighting that gives the new film a nostalgic texture. The use of the folk songs instantly reminds me of the siblings’ brilliant, brilliant O Brother, Where Art Thou? -- a movie that several critics in Cannes compared Inside Llewyn Davis to when the movie screened there earlier this year.
The biggest difference between this new preview and the red-band is that it gives Oscar Isaac more time to shine … an odd compliment given the fact that he’s the star and titular character of the filmmakers’ latest piece. Early clips allowed Isaac's co-stars – primarily John Goodman and Carey Mulligan – the chance to fill in the actor’s silences. In addition to beefing up the music, this new trailer gives us a better idea of the artistic purity Llewyn Davis brings to his craft (songwriting), and paints him as a more complete version of the classic Coen protagonist – a Job-like creature who is crumbling under the weight of his own insecurities, fears and hard-to-reach desires.
The most terrifying aspect of this new tease is the sentence pasted on the bottom of Apple’s page: “In theaters December 6th, 2013.” That’s an eternity to wait for a movie that I already know is going to knock me flat on my ass. Look at Goodman and Mulligan’s disgusted reactions to every little move Isaacs makes! That’s the subtle artistry of the Coens, and even though they are coming off their biggest hit (by far) in True Grit, I don’t see them trading in the storytelling qualities that have made them a valued commodity over the past 30 years. Get here soon, Inside Llewyn Davis, because I’m confident that I’m going to love what you are about to deliver.
