- Rated: PG-13
- Genre: Comedy, Drama
- Year: 1991
Synopsis
Set in Hollywood during the 1940's, "Barton Fink" is a comic satire about creative egos, flashy moguls, a travelling salesman and a nasty case of writer's block. Barton Fink (John Turturro) is a New York playwright lured to Hollywood to work as a screenwriter. It doesn't take long for Barton's life to erupt in complete chaos. His studio boss orders the serious-minded Barton to write a low budget wrestling movie. Deeply disappointed, Barton returns to his seedy hotel, types one sentence and then¿ nothing. To make matters worse, he is continually interrupted by Charlie (John Goodman), a chatty travelling insurance salesman who lives next door. Eventually they become friends and Charlie tries to help Barton by teaching him the finer points of wrestling. As the clock ticks away and the temperature climbs, Barton becomes more desperate as his life spins out of control.
Disk Information
*8 Deleted scenes
*Theatrical trailer
*Cross-promo trailers: Miller's Crossing & Raising Arizona
Cast & Crew
Reviews
Gnomic, claustrophobic, hallucinatory, just plain weird, it is the kind of movie critics can soak up thousands of words analyzing and cinephiles can soak up at least three espressos arguing their way through.
Again the Coens take familiar movie tropes and twist them into something new. This may be their most haunting movie.
Scene after scene is filled with a ferocious strength and humor.
Partly hilarious, partly horrific, totally mesmerizing.
If Fink lacks cumulative punch, its fighting power is a technical knockout.
