Factotum

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Richard L Although convincingly bleak from start to finish, Factotum is effortlessly funny thanks in large part due to Dillon's deadpan delivery. Although the story meanders like you'd expect from a story based on life, the film is surprisingly much like reading a book, and makes for an attractive and thoughtful package. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Great to see low scores abound. Just like the book Chinaski was writing, everybody's in it. Magnificent. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member Matt Dillon carries this meandering seedy character study. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Factotum - noun - a jack of all trades. Charles Bukowski may well have been a ''jack of all trades'' but he was a master of one (writing). Well, two (Drinking). Factotum (2005) expertly tracks the troubled life of Bukowski's alter-ego Henry Chinaski, as he is employed in various uninspiring jobs (while drinking), has casual sex (while drinking), and generally irritates people (while drinking). In fact, it could be said that the only consistent thing in the world of Bukowski-Chinaski is drinking. But he can also write, when the mood takes him. Based on more than one of Bukowski's novels - including Factotum and The Post Office - the film stars veteran actor Matt Dillon as the drinker-writer who aspires to one day make a living from his craft. Through sheer hard work - and a lot of self-inflicted personal pain - he eventually attains his wish. Henry Chinaski is not a particularly pleasant person; however, it is difficult to dislike him. He is an angry and nihilistic oddball who can also be charming and satirically witty. He is often lazy, an alcoholic and a womanizer; and yet, he never loses sight of the importance of his writing. Matt Dillon offers a convincing performance and a different - more accurate - take on Chinaski-Bukowski than Mickey Rourke in Barfly (1987), which was equally convincing, if somewhat overexaggerated. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review David C Matt Dillon in his prime. He truly captures Charles detachment from the 9-5, his romanticized numbness and distain for the normal. This is a lesion in what Hollywood SHOULD be doing. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/06/20 Full Review Audience Member This film could of been distilled into a 20 minute short. The worst aspect wasn't the writing but the sound and cinematography. This was a poorly mapped out film. The writing was at times inspiring. But in it's entirety the film's purpose is overstated and confusing. I wasn't enjoying the film as much as was questioning current objectives or motives. This is a watch once and never forget film. Don't follow it's poor structure and visual/audio shortcomings. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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