The first decade of the new century saw a lot of biopics about musicians. Think about "Ray" (2004, Taylor Hackford, about Ray Charles), "Walk the line" (2005, James Mangold, about Johnny Cash) and "I'm not there" (2007, Todd Haynes, about Bob Dylan).
A few years later Joel and Ethan Coen made their own biopic, but they did it their way. In the first place their subject Dave van Ronk (after which the main character Llewyn Davis (played by Oscar Isaac) is modeled) is of course much less famous than the stars mentioned above. In the second place the film does not portray Dave van Ronk in his heyday but in his early years at the beginning of the 1960's. After auditioning at a record company the manager asks him if he is interested in being a background vocal.
Last but not least the film is not solely a biopic but is also portraying the cultural scene in New York at the easrly 60's in which folk acts had to compete with jazz and gospel. When Llewyn tells a jazz musician that he is a folk singer the reaction is: "Oh, I thought you were a musician".
The movie lacks a concrete storyline, but as compensation there are some colorful support characters. Best of them is in my opinion jazz musician Roland Turner played by John Goodman. Indeed, the one of the quote above.
A few years later Joel and Ethan Coen made their own biopic, but they did it their way. In the first place their subject Dave van Ronk (after which the main character Llewyn Davis (played by Oscar Isaac) is modeled) is of course much less famous than the stars mentioned above. In the second place the film does not portray Dave van Ronk in his heyday but in his early years at the beginning of the 1960's. After auditioning at a record company the manager asks him if he is interested in being a background vocal.
Last but not least the film is not solely a biopic but is also portraying the cultural scene in New York at the easrly 60's in which folk acts had to compete with jazz and gospel. When Llewyn tells a jazz musician that he is a folk singer the reaction is: "Oh, I thought you were a musician".
The movie lacks a concrete storyline, but as compensation there are some colorful support characters. Best of them is in my opinion jazz musician Roland Turner played by John Goodman. Indeed, the one of the quote above.