Despair Proves Amusing in Coens' 'Llewyn' In an alley behind a cafe in New York's Greenwich Village, an unidentified stranger knocks singer Llewyn Davis to his knees. Within the first 10 minutes of the Coen brothers' latest dark comedy, the filmmakers acquaint us with the curiously obscure, as violent fits are not usually associated with folk music. The genesis of this animosity is left unanswered until the final moments of the film, leaving the lingering off-kilter question: Why would anyone beat up a folk singer? Thus, we have the perfect onset for this bleak and witty tale of a striving musician. Here the Coen brothers pluck at the beatnik scene of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Helmed by long-time Coen collaborator T Bone Burnett, the tunes in this film - which are performed live - bare morbid undertones that correspond with the foremost concepts of the story: poverty, abortion, disappointment and death. As the film opens, we are introduced to our guitar-strumming lead, Llewyn Davis, who is onstage in a smoke-filled dive. Played to grungy, dark and handsome perfection by the stylish and calm Juilliard-trained Oscar Isaac, this marks the first time the Miami-bred Guatemalan-born 33-year-old has anchored a feature. He carries it off with infectious grace and grit and when he sings "Hang Me, Oh Hang Me" in these initial moments. We're both seduced and heartbroken. But for his character, a deep tune isn't enough to win over an audience. Struggling to make it as a solo artist after his bandmate committed suicide, Llewyn's dismal hymns fail to propel him out of dire straits. Unable to afford his own place, he crashes on the couches of friends around town. Yet he's determined to keep his guitar close by and not sell out. It seems we'll have no problem feeling sorry for Llewyn. Only the fact that he's an egotistical jackass makes it impossible to feel solidly empathetic toward him. His tenacity is admirable, though painstakingly impractical, which his married lover, Jean, played by Carey Mulligan, never fails to point out. The motley actress, who also played Isaac's love interest in "Drive," is deliciously abrasive in this role as Llewyn's best friend's wife, who just might be carrying Llewyn's baby. Unlike her glamorous turn as Daisy Buchanan in Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of "The Great Gatsby" earlier this year, here Mulligan is pared down in tame turtlenecks and blunt brown bangs. This practical look is the perfect contrast to her sassy tongue. Jean is disgusted with Llewyn's casual nature and lack of desire for the stable suburban lifestyle, yet she's attracted to his rough edges. Their back-and-forth dustups speed up the film's otherwise drowsy pace and offer the most intriguing, and hilarious, exchanges. As bearded musician Jim, who is married to Jean, Justin Timberlake's comedic timing is on point here, too. He's convincingly quirky and naive, especially when he attempts to record a loony track about President Kennedy with a straight face. And "Girls" star Adam Driver, as the cowboy hat-wearing folk singer Al Cody, is a riot when adding absurd sound effects to Jim's soon-to-be hit. Luck never seems to be on Llewyn's side. If he gains a couple of bucks, he quickly loses them. He's unable to nab a proper coat and boots in the freezing New York winter. And his sister has tossed the papers needed to return to the seaman's union, his backup plan. Isaac's masters every intricate expression, but disappointment is his grand mask.