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Factotum

Play trailer Poster for Factotum R 2006 1h 33m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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74% Tomatometer 118 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
A nomadic writer (Matt Dillon) drifts from one dead-end job to another in an attempt to fuel his passions for alcohol and women. Unable to maintain steady employment or sell his stories to the one publisher he respects, Henry Chinaski does what he can to earn enough cash.
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Factotum

Factotum

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Critics Consensus

Matt Dillon's performance is the highlight of this somewhat slow but fascinating portrayal of Charles Bukowski's alter-ego.

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Critics Reviews

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Rick Groen Globe and Mail 12/01/2006
2/4
The transplant didn't take in Barfly, and it works no better here in Factotum. In each case, the baying of the boozehounds just seems repetitious and banal -- the noise endures but the joy is gone. Go to Full Review
Peter Howell Toronto Star 12/01/2006
2.5/4
Quite dull, truth be told. As good as Dillon and Taylor are in their roles, making us side with them even as we despise them, there's not a whole lot that happens in a life ruled by the bottle, the butt and the shag. Go to Full Review
Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com 09/23/2006
3.5/4
Is it just me or is Matt Dillon just getting better with age? Go to Full Review
Mike Massie Gone With The Twins 11/21/2020
5/10
Every scene or bit of dialogue seems purposeful but disagreeable - since it's based on the controversial tales of Charles Bukowski. Go to Full Review
Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com 09/07/2020
3.0/4.0
Linda Bukowski has praised this film for not buying into the illusion of Bukowski. Go to Full Review
David Lamble Bay Area Reporter 05/12/2020
Factotum underplays the truism that we all have a little Bukowski in us. A parting shot sums up a lifetime of unsettled scores. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Richard L 03/15/2023 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. See more Graham M @Greyzer 03/26/2022 Great to see low scores abound. Just like the book Chinaski was writing, everybody's in it. Magnificent. See more @ExcessMale 03/12/2022 Matt Dillon carries this meandering seedy character study. See more 02/08/2021 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. See more David C 07/06/2020 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. See more 10/10/2019 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. See more Read all reviews
Factotum

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Movie Info

Synopsis A nomadic writer (Matt Dillon) drifts from one dead-end job to another in an attempt to fuel his passions for alcohol and women. Unable to maintain steady employment or sell his stories to the one publisher he respects, Henry Chinaski does what he can to earn enough cash.
Director
Bent Hamer
Producer
Bent Hamer, Jim Stark
Screenwriter
Bent Hamer, Jim Stark
Distributor
Picturehouse
Production Co
Norsk Film, Bulbul Films
Rating
R (Language|Sexual Content)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 18, 2006, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$808.2K
Runtime
1h 33m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
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