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Barton Fink

Play trailer Poster for Barton Fink R Released Aug 1, 1991 1h 56m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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89% Tomatometer 65 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Set in 1941, an intellectual New York playwright Barton Fink (John Turturro) accepts an offer to write movie scripts in L.A. He finds himself with writer's block when required to do a B-movie script. His neighbor tries to help, but he continues to struggle as a bizarre sequence of events distracts him.
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Barton Fink

Barton Fink

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Critics Consensus

Twisty and unsettling, the Coen brothers' satirical tale of a 1940s playwright struggling with writer's block is packed with their trademark sense of humor and terrific performances from its cast.

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Critics Reviews

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Adam Nayman The Ringer Barton Fink is one for the record books. Apr 6, 2020 Full Review Gene Siskel Chicago Tribune It's at its best when young Barton Fink simply stares at a picture of a bathing beauty contemplating the ocean -- a Hollywood dream. Rated: 3.5/4 Jan 16, 2013 Full Review Richard Schickel TIME Magazine 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. Oct 13, 2009 Full Review Adrian Martin Film Critic: Adrian Martin The film has an anything-might-happen-next air and a faith in strange associative leaps that take the plot in unforeseen directions. Rated: 4/5 Jul 30, 2025 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) Barton Fink seems to be the best film of the year... but it dissolves without leaving a trace, turning into the biggest deception of the year. [Full review in Spanish] Dec 8, 2022 Full Review Quentin Crisp Christopher Street It has the best dialogue I have heard in a long time -- witty without being jokey. Apr 6, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Mitch B An atmospheric and emotional story and it's weird but sooo immersive. I liked John Goodman's performance. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/10/25 Full Review Jacob B L.A. noir as only the Brothers could conjure. One of the Cohen Brothers very best! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/03/25 Full Review Audience Member My new favourite movie Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/30/25 Full Review David F This film about a New York playwright who takes his talents to Hollywood at the invitation of a studio boss features some tremendously funny satire of Hollywood studio bosses and their studio boss philosophy. It also has some great jokes about screenwriters and their place in Hollywood. Alongside that, there is a very creepy, slow-moving plot about a seedy hotel, a serial killer, and writers block that takes practically the whole movie to go anywhere and where it goes is pretty weird. The film does well on setting, character, and off-beat humour, but the plot will satisfy some and dissatisfy some others. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/03/25 Full Review Will G John Goodman was great in this movie. It was all about screenwriting in classic Hollywood. The Coen brothers are great directors. It turns into a noir movie towards the end. Steve Buscemi was good too. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/30/24 Full Review Mason M The Coen Brothers are at their best when it comes to their more slowly paced character studies like A Serious Man or Barton Fink. Barton Fink is one of the best films they ever made. It's a horrifying and thrilling study of the human mind and it's unpredictablility, with John Turturro giving one of the best lead performances I've ever seen. Expertly written and executed, this thought provoking thriller is one of the essential films of the Coens' careers. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/05/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Barton Fink

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Cast & Crew

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Joel Coen

Director

John Turturro

Barton Fink

John Goodman

Charlie Meadows

Judy Davis

Audrey Taylor

Michael Lerner

Jack Lipnick

John Mahoney

W.P. Mayhew

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Barton Fink

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Movie Info

Synopsis Set in 1941, an intellectual New York playwright Barton Fink (John Turturro) accepts an offer to write movie scripts in L.A. He finds himself with writer's block when required to do a B-movie script. His neighbor tries to help, but he continues to struggle as a bizarre sequence of events distracts him.
Director
Joel Coen
Producer
Ethan Coen, Graham Place
Screenwriter
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Circle Films, Inc., Working Title Films
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 1, 1991, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$5.7M
Runtime
1h 56m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.66:1)
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