Rating of
4/4
An interesting story chronicling a writer's desire
memento_mori - wrote on 08/23/13
I'm a bit of a writer myself, so I could relate to the character of Barton Fink. When he was talking passionately about 'the common man' and his dislike of the pictures, I completely understood what he meant. He wanted to portray civilization as a whole and not the Hollywood clichés. It's brilliant message.
The person who in my opinion stole the show, is John Goodman. Man, that guy can act. It was almost like he was wearing a mask of kindness as Charlie, which reminded me of Kathy Bates in Misery. Both are terrifying when they are in a good mood.
The dialogue in this film is crafty. No, that's an understatement. It's fabulous. It discusses a lot of topics altogether, but nothing in particular. Kind of like being in a dream. Some quotes I like include:
'I've always found that writing comes from a great inner pain.'
'They say I'm a mad man Bart, but I'm not mad at anyone. Honest, I'm not. Most guys I just feel sorry for.'
The script by Joel and Ethan Coen is marvelous. Because they know how to write a script, they knew how to write a guy writing a script.
The ending to this movie is just brilliant.
I guess this film is more relatable for me than it is for most. I love the way it looks at a writer from such a pessimistic standpoint, of a depressed common man who takes his inspiration from darkness, not beautiful peace. This character of Barton Fink looks at a beautiful painting of a woman on a beach, and he finds no inspiration, but when he hears the whizz of a pestering mosquito, he sits at his typewriter and alters the words he has written. That is a great character.
The supporting actors and characters are also fantastic, especially John Goodman and Tony Shalhoub.
This is just another great, barely describable, unsettling film from the Coen Bros.
