BARTON FINK
A film review by Chad Polenz
Copyright 1997 Chad Polenz
Barton Fink *** (out of 4 = good) 1991, R, 117 minutes [1 hour, 57 minutes] [drama/satire] starring: John Turturro (Barton Fink), John Goodman (Charlie Meadows), John Mahoney (W.P. Mayhew), Judy Davis (Audrey Taylor), produced by Ethan Coen, written by Ethan and Joel Coen, directed by Joel Coen.
Sometimes the movies have a way of playing with our heads by confusing us, not necessarily plot-wise, but mood-wise. Sometimes we can't tell what's real and what's a dream. "Barton Fink" is a journey into that world of vertigo where what's real seems more like a dream with constant surprises and unexplained occurrences. It's a satire, obviously, but what is it satirical of?
The Coen brothers are no strangers to the world of the bizarre, many of their films are seemingly normal with very unusual twists to them. We recognize the objects, but they become foreign to us in the way they are presented. That fascinating sense of the surreal is what this film is all about - usual characters in most unusual circumstances.
We meet our main character, Barton Fink, played wonderfully by John Turturro. He is a struggling Jewish playwright in 1940s New York who is given rave reviews but isn't satisfied. He knows there's something out there for him but just doesn't know what it is. When Barton is asked by a major Hollywood studio to come out and write for them he thinks this may be his chance to make a difference. Unfortunately, he is assigned to write a campy B movie that has no value whatsoever. This is reflective of the society in which it is produced; a place where only action and money matter, where reality becomes blurred because of the isolation from the regular world.
Barton moves into a dumpy hotel and is befriended by his next door neighbor Charlie Meadows (Goodman), a portly insurance salesman who seems to be the most normal and most caring person in Hollywood. Charlie's dialogue is composed in such a way that it seems very "written," but it also enhances the satirical mood.
Barton's problem is that he feels he is too good for everyone, but does not realize it. He writes about the common man, yet he does not accept the notion he is a common man. He insults Charlie to his face but does not realize that he is doing so. The chemistry between the characters is portrayed very well as Turturro and Goodman work off of each so well because of their differences.
When Barton meets W.P. Mayhew (Mahoney), his favorite writer, he is shocked that he is an an alcoholic. His mistress Audrey (Davis), probably did all his writing, and an attraction between the two is evident. There is potential for a typical movie affair but it is not carried out over time and in secrecy, just a one night stand that ends in tragedy. The film had seemed rather offbeat until this time, but suddenly it becomes almost incomprehensible.
Maybe the Coen brothers got the idea for "Barton Fink" from a dream. We are not placed in this type of atmosphere for shock value, but for a glance through the looking glass.
Visit Chad'z Movie Page @ http://members.aol.com/ChadPolenz/index.html
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews