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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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90% Tomatometer 67 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 Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: B Sep 7, 2011 Full Review 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 Full Review Elisa Guimarães Collider ...what truly makes the hallway scene in Barton Fink so terrifying is not just its imagery, but what it represents in the grand scheme of the plot... Jan 31, 2024 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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 Full Review 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 Full Review Alec C The Coen Brothers add their slick signature to this surreal story of writer's block! Quirky one minute then macabre the next, we get hit in the gut by both barrels. Leaves us fascinated, but also a bit unsure of what the heck we just watched! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/20/23 Full Review Mark M Wow - what a ride. For my money this is John Turturo at his finest. The existentialism decorated within the seemingly shallow storyline creates a spectacle that kept me on the edge of my seat. Call me Brad Pitt in 'Seven' because I was screaming "What's in the box?!?" Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/19/23 Full Review David H Not quite as good as some Coën Brothers films, but not bad. It sort of goes off the rails at some point, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Barton Fink

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Cast & Crew

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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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