Barton Fink [DVD] [1991] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

This won several major awards, such as an unprecedented three awards at Cannes- so I can't see how this is 'undervalued'- a tag which is more suited to The Hudsucker Proxy or Lebowksi. Coen's regular John Turturro is the eponymous hero- a writer not dissimilar to Clifford Odets (Waiting for Lefty), who has a romanticised theory of the working classes, which was in vogue in the 30's/40s, pre-McCarthy. He is offered the chance to go & write scripts in Hollywood- making one think of such luminaries as Raymond Chandler, William Faulkner & Nathaniel West, who all did the same...

Fink checks into a hotel, populated by the seemingly unsleeping Chet (Steve Buscemi), mosquitos, thin walls, falling wallpaper & a bizarre insurance salesman (John Goodman). He also enters the equally absurd world of Hollywood- where he is commisioned to write a wrestling flick; it is here he begins to experience writer's block. A guy from the studio suggests he talk to another writer, enter John Mahoney as a soused scribe & his 'secretary', Judy Davis. Then Fink wakes up to the best 'corpse in a bed'-scene since The Godfather and then some cops appear, asking about headless corpses & if Fink knows anything about it...

This is a very Beckettian piece- Fink is trapped in an absurd hell once inside the hotel, while Hollywood becomes more surreal- especially when the studio head (Michael Lerner) is dressed as a General in the final meeting. The cops who question Fink seem like a Dashiel Hammett take on the interrogators at the heart of Pinter's The Birthday Party. There is much that is amusing here- Fink's pretentiousness regarding 'the common man', the dance sequence that ends in a fight, the kissing the feet sequence...

It is also clear that the Coen's aren't suffering from 'writer's block' as another review suggests: the lead character is (much like John Cusack in Bullets Over Broadway- cowritten by a Simpsons writer who referred to Barton Fink in a great episode of the animated series). The idea that the creators of this suffering from writer's block is absurd when (i) they frequently stockpile scripts and (ii) when the dialogue is as great as it is here. It's like saying Jonathan Demme is suffering from a terminal disease, as the central character of Philadelphia is; a lazy-assed auteur application...

Barton Fink is an absurd, almost postmodern hell (Goodman stating "Heil Hitler!" before offing a policeman)- a world that is close to a horror film (walls on fire, seemingly empty hotel out of The Shining, temperature shifts, headless corpses), but is too funny & knowing- making it all the more disturbing. Another Coen's classic then...

The film centers around a slightly pompous, idealistic, left wing playwright, Barton Fink (John Turturro), who in 1941, after becoming the toast of Broadway as the pretentious voice of the common man, goes west to Hollywood at the invitation of a major studio in order to try his hand at writing screenplays.

There, he meets studio head, Jack Lipnick (Michael Lerner), and his yes man and whipping boy, Lou Breeze (Jon Polito). Asked to write a screenplay for a Wallace Beery vehicle about wrestling, a subject about which the bookish Fink knows nothing about, causes Fink to go into a professional tailspin.

Ensconced in a decaying old hotel, seemingly run by its slightly creepy and unctuous bell hop, Chet (Steve Buscemi), who bizarrely appears on the scene out of a trapdoor behind the hotel's front desk, Fink begins his ordeal . The elevator is run by a cadaverous, pock marked, elderly man. The corridors of the hotel seem endless. The wallpaper in Fink's room is peeling away from the wall, leaving a viscous, damp ooze in its wake. His bed creaks and groans with a life of its own. It is also hot, oppressively hot.

No residents of the hotel are apparent, except for the appearance of shoes outside the doors in expectation of the free shoe shine the hotel offers its denizens and for the noise made by his neighbors. Finks meets one of his neighbors, the portly Charlie Meadows (John Goodman), a gregarious Everyman, possessed of an abundance of bonhomie. A self-styled insurance salesman, Charlie cajoles Fink out of his shell, befriending him in the process. Little does Fink know that beneath Charlie's congenial exterior lies a horrific secret that will spillover onto him in the not so distant future.

At a luncheon with studio under boss, Ben Geisler (Tony Shalhoub), Fink meets a famous writer that he reveres, W. P. Mayhew (John Mahoney), a southern sot so steeped in drink that his companion/secretary, Audrey Taylor (Judy Davis), has to do his writing for him. Fink falls for Audrey but finds his overtures rebuffed. Still, she is willing to try and help him overcome his profound writer's block. In a classic Coen twist, it is this single act of kindness that acts as the catalyst for the nightmare that makes Fink's life become a living hell on earth. He goes from living a life of self-imposed isolation and angst to one that appears to have been created by a Hollywood hack, filled as it is with the most incredible situations, a real studio head's dream.

John Turturro is terrific as the introverted, tightly wound, pretentious, and neurotic Fink, who in Hollywood, away from the womb of the Great White Way, is like a lamb led to the slaughter. With his sculpted afro, horn rimmed glasses, nerdy clothes, Fink is the stereotypic Hollywood notion of the commie writer. John Turturro makes the role his with a purposeful intensity.

John Goodman is sensational as the garrulous Charlie Meadow, the epitome of the working class man about whom Fink likes to write. Unfortunately, all is not as it seems, as Charlie has a dark side to him, a very dark side. John Mahoney is excellent as the Faulknerian-like writer, and Judy Davis outdoes herself, as the self-sacrificing Audrey Taylor.

Michael Lerner will razzle-dazzle the viewer with his over the top portrayal of a fast talking studio head who is willing to pay big bucks for the cache of having a top Broadway playwright turn out screenplay swill for the masses. Jon Polito is very good as the Uriah Heepish, quintessential yes man he portrays. Tony Shalhoub is excellent in his role, underscoring the absurdity of the old Hollywood studio system.

Steve Buscemi, looking surprisingly small in his bell hop uniform, resembles an organ grinder's monkey, at times. The viewer may also expect him to bellow, "Call for Phillip Morris", as in the old cigarette campaign, though he speaks in a controlled, respectful monotone, at all times. Still, his very presence adds a slightly sinister quality to the film, though he does nothing remotely sinister, other than the way he makes his screen appearance. His entrance onto the screen in this fashion foreshadows what is to come.

This film is not for everyone, as it does not have a neatly wrapped ending. Instead, it goes beyond the standard expected ending into an absurdist foray. Still, those who love films by the Coen Brothers will not be disappointed by this satiric look at Hollywood. It is little wonder that this film became the darling of the Cannes Film Festival.

The movie focuses around a writer by the name of Barton Fink. He has just finished a play that is getting rave reviews from the critics, but he isn't as impressed with the overall product. He goes to Hollywood when he receives a job offer, but it's an offer unlike any he has taken before. His job is to write a wrestling picture, something that Fink knows very little about. When he gets to the very unimpressive hotel to begin writing the script, he is only able to write a sentence or two... and then he goes blank. He has no idea how the script should go and it's driving him nuts, as he is a perfectionist. His lively and loud neighbor, Charlie, takes a liking to him and offers his friendship and advice. But as Fink tries harder and harder to focus on the script, his life slowly starts to spin out of control and leads him to an unspeakable predicament.

As I said before, this is a very, VERY strange movie. It's strange because it's so subtle and it disguises itself as something so innocent and harmless until you see the plot come full-circle. The Coen Brothers always know how to keep us on our toes when it comes to movies, and they prove that fact clearly in "Barton Fink." Some may be confused by the third act. I admit that I don't even know if I completely get it. I think I have an idea, but that's all it is, an idea. Does that mean that I didn't like the movie? Of course not! In fact, it made me like it more because I kept thinking about it over and over again. I'm even thinking about it right now, hoping I can put all the pieces together.

The acting was fantastic, as usual. John Turturro gives it his all in the lead role. It is clear that he was the right person for the job. John Goodman is also very great and hilarious, and you even get to see some of his dark side. What it all comes down to is that everybody did their roles justice. There are a lot of crazy and interesting characters that Fink encounters during the film that are really worth getting to know. The film was very well-directed and well-written.

I don't think "Barton Fink" is the Coen Brothers' greatest achievement, but it is definitely an enjoyable and entertaining film. It leaves you thinking after it's all said and done. And the dark and very subtle humor is always a joy to experience. This is another one that's not for everybody, but if you feel brave to experience something new and daring, why not give "Barton Fink" a shot? I'm very happy that it is now a part of my video library and it is one I can definitely see myself watching again sometime soon.