Barton FinkRating: 15 14+

Reviews

• George, 17

  3 out of 5

  By

  George, 17

  Date

  2009-10-05 12:45:58

  
  It was alright. 'Nothing to write home about' as they say. There wasn't really a plot, well there was... but it was nothing you could really get your teeth into; it just seemed to plod along. Not to say it wasn't interesting though, it kept me captivated all the way through. The ending was... erh none existent? It just seemed to end! So many questions went unanswered, which some people like as it allows them to fill in the gaps; not me though. It was rather strange and surreal in places too, a bit of a weird movie all in all. The second half just seems to be dream like and is just plain down weird.
  
  
  
  
  Lots of symbolism though, like the peeling wallpaper, and the picture of the girl on the beach; seen again in the ending but in real life.
  
  
  
  
  Not bad, probably wont be watching it again, but if you have it, see it for cheap (or get given it as i did) you might as well watch it!

• James, 31

  4 out of 5

  By

  James, 31

  Date

  2009-10-02 20:12:51

  This is the film that got the Coen Brothers noticed way before Fargo did. In fact I am not a particular fan of Fargo, I think that there are many more Coen Brothers films that deserve more recognition. The technical aspects of this film are near perfect with the sound,  cinematography and sets being totally convincing and authentic. It also established some great Coen Brothers regulars like John Tuturro and John Goodman.
  
  I haven't watched it for ages but I can still remember vividly the hotel and how it felt so suffocating and isolating. The sound of the doors opening and closing and the whoosh of air sticks in the mind most of all. The acting is superb all the way through and the brothers manage to make a great piece of observation on the workings of Hollywood versus artistic integrity without ruining the magic of the film industry totally.
  
  There is that and the fantastic storyline involving John Goodman's serial killer character. We are almost in Raymond Chandler territory here for a while with the two detectives.
  
  Superb ending of the film on the beach - what was in the box? 'Fish, Fresh Fish'!!

• Olivia, 13

  0 out of 5

  By

  Olivia, 13

  Date

  2009-06-03 16:16:37

  i havent seen this film but it sounds really good

• Alice, 15

  2 out of 5

  By

  Alice, 15

  Date

  2009-04-06 08:44:59

  The main problem with Barton Fink is that nothing really happened. It never manages to lift itself above the averageness present from the start. Writer's block is not a very interesting subject, as it's just a man sitting around thinking about what to write. I am actually suffering from writer's block right now, trying to think of something to say about this film. I'm not really sure what it was trying to show and why it is thought of as a good film. The whole thing was a bit stupid and sometimes it felt like watching paint dry. I am not a massive Coen fan so this film did not appeal to me as it did to many other people. Having said that, I don't really see the appeal as it was a very bland storyline. John Turturro never seems to change and I have never been impressed by any of his performances. I didn't actually realise this film was a comedy until afterwards so it obviously wasn't very funny. The idea of showing Hollywood's ‘darker side' is a concept it tried to use but didn't manage it very well. Mulholland Drive (2001) uses this concept much more effectively. Speaking of Mulholland Drive, I noticed Mr Fink flaunts a hairstyle that is most definitely copied from somewhere…a famous David Lynch film; I won't spell it out to you. Anyone that loves The Coen Brothers will probably like this film, but it might seem a bit boring to anybody else. So there you go, it looks like I have managed to squeeze out a paragraph, which is more than Barton Fink managed to do.