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The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 15 - 'Inside Llewyn Davis'

July 16, 2025/ 40 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins

The Coens' slot on the century list, and Sean and Amanda hand it to No. 15 instead of the obvious pick. A conversation about 'Inside Llewyn Davis,' the 1961-set folk portrait modeled on Dave Van Ronk and the movie about being the other guy, and why 'A Complete Unknown' plays like a response record a decade later.

1 films across 1 segment.

AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.

No. 15 — 'Inside Llewyn Davis'The 25 for 25 series

Inside Llewyn Davis poster

Inside Llewyn Davis 2013

The Coen Brothers pick, chosen over the more decorated No Country for Old Men. Oscar Isaac plays a Greenwich Village folk singer modeled on Dave Van Ronk, a man stuck being the other guy while Bob Dylan takes off. Shot by Bruno Delbonnel rather than Roger Deakins, scored by T Bone Burnett and Marcus Mumford, with Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, and Justin Timberlake. Two Oscar nominations, no box office; New York Times critics' poll No. 83, readers' No. 95. Sean and Amanda call it their last Coen masterpiece, and say A Complete Unknown plays like its answer a decade later.

Also mentioned raised along the way

The rest of the Coens No Country for Old MenFargoRaising ArizonaMiller's CrossingBarton FinkThe Big LebowskiO Brother, Where Art Thou?A Serious ManTrue GritBurn After ReadingHail, Caesar!The Ballad of Buster ScruggsThe Hudsucker ProxyThe Tragedy of MacbethDrive-Away Dolls

Oscar Isaac's run The Bourne LegacyA Most Violent YearEx MachinaStar Wars: The Force Awakens

Double features they'd pair with it A Complete UnknownAmadeusTrainspottingThe Third Man

The stacked 2007 field There Will Be BloodMichael ClaytonZodiacAtonementJuno

In passing The Social NetworkThe ReaderNo Direction HomeLoganThe WolverineThe Dark KnightEddington

Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads

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