***Available on DVD***
Starring John Turturro, John Goodman, Judy Davis, John Mahoney, and Tony Shalhoub
Directed by Joel Coen (and an uncredited Ethan Coen)
Written by Joel and Ethan Coen
Starring John Turturro, John Goodman, Judy Davis, John Mahoney, and Tony Shalhoub
Directed by Joel Coen (and an uncredited Ethan Coen)
Written by Joel and Ethan Coen
Barton Fink (Turturro) is a New York playwright who moves out to Hollywood when presented with an opportunity to write for "the pictures." Unfortunately, writer's block comes into play and Barton is unable to write a thing. He befriends a salesman living next door to him (Goodman), he stares at peeling wallpaper, and he meets up with a washed-out alcoholic writer (Mahoney) and his lover (Davis) in hopes of gaining some inspiration.
Full of some hilarious bit roles taken right out of cheesy 1940s B-movies (the detectives who question Fink in the 2nd half of the film, the film studio chief), it's a shame that the main character is such a nobody. I can't even really put a finger on it, but I hated the way Turturro portrayed Fink. He certainly wasn't helped by the Coen Bros. who give him nothing to do in the film's first hour except act incredibly frustrated at his inability to write.
The film certainly comes alive in the second hour, and I felt like I was watching a far superior movie (despite the zaniness that is present)...a far different movie than the first hour. In the grand scheme of things, the two disparate acts make sense (sort of), but they really didn't connect for me cohesively. But, I guess that could be the point, really.
While I didn't love the movie, I'm absolutely interested in discussing this with the friend who recommended it to me (especially considering it's one of his favorite movies of all time). It's a movie rife with symbolism that a single viewing wouldn't allow me to catch everything (or even half of everything).
Perhaps in three months, I'll give this movie another chance...knowing where it's going might help me better appreciate the initial hour.
The RyMickey Rating: C+
(for now...although upon a 2nd viewing, I could see myself finding this film more and more intriguing)
(for now...although upon a 2nd viewing, I could see myself finding this film more and more intriguing)
Basically how I felt about the movie in terms of lack of cohesion, but I definitely liked the first half better than the second. Essentially, in my opinion it went down hill after he found the dead chick in his bed.
ReplyDelete