Barton Fink

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Barton Fink

R

Released Aug 1, 1991

1h 56m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

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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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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Adam Nayman

The Ringer

Barton Fink is one for the record books.

Apr 6, 2020

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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

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: B

Sep 7, 2011

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Cory Woodroof

For the Win (USA Today)

This is easily the best film about Hollywood that the Coens made, which is saying something.

Feb 22, 2024

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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

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Quentin Crisp

Christopher Street

It has the best dialogue I have heard in a long time -- witty without being jokey.

Apr 6, 2022

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Audience Member

My new favourite movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/30/25

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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

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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

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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

Audience Member

The subject matter of this movie actually interested me more than I thought it would and the Coen brothers normally make awesome movies. John Turturro acts great, along with the supporting cast members who are the big Hollywood producers and writers. The film gets really interesting at a certain point when Mr. Fink wakes up next to a big surprise dead female body in his bed, which almost convinces you is a dream. John Goodman did well with his role too and his ability to make facial expressions that stand out, however I didn't like how they handled the closure of his character. I felt like they could've provided him with a better ending and one that was less ambiguous/made more sense. The very end of the movie with him on the beach though was a beautiful scene. I might rewatch it one day and I like and love other Coen brothers movies a lot better, but this works well enough!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/25/24

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Aender S

Usually I like films by the Coen brothers, but this one was too unnerving for me, in a negative way.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/16/24

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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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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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