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MOVIES / ON DVD / BARFLY
Barfly

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Barfly (1987)

80%
N/A
65%
N/A
N/A
N/A
80 %
Reviews Counted: 15 Fresh: 12  Rotten:3 Average Rating: 6.9/10

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins

Synopsis: Based on a semiautobiographical short story by poet and screenwriter Charles Bukowksi and directed by Barbet Schroeder, BARFLY offers insight into the world of the alcoholic, where all that matters is the next drink. Henry Chinaski (Mickey Rourke) is a talented writer of prolific prose;... Based on a semiautobiographical short story by poet and screenwriter Charles Bukowksi and directed by Barbet Schroeder, BARFLY offers insight into the world of the alcoholic, where all that matters is the next drink. Henry Chinaski (Mickey Rourke) is a talented writer of prolific prose; unfortunately, he's also a skid-row alcoholic with a violent temper. He picks fights nightly with Eddie (Frank Stallone), the bartender at the local watering hole the Golden Horn and lives in a seedy tenement, stealing food and trying to scrape together enough money for booze. Fellow alcoholic Willa Wilcox (Faye Dunaway) catches Henry's eye at the bar one afternoon, and although she has a reputation for being unstable, the two embark on a relationship with each other and the bottle. Their liaison is full of drama, humor, and irrational behavior; it is put to the test when Henry meets Tully (Alice Krige), a rich, privileged literary editor who wants to publish his stories and save him from himself. The film features exceptional performances from Rourke and Dunaway as they portray the highs and lows that are part and parcel of alcoholism--as well as love. [More]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Mickey Rourke, Faye Dunaway, Alice Krige, Frank Stallone, J.C. Quinn

Director: Barbet Schroeder
Screenwriter: Charles Bukowski

DVD Info

Release:

Sep 3, 2002

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Snap Case
  • Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
  • Single Side - Dual Layer

Additional Release Material:

  • Audio Commentary - 1. Barbet Schroeder
  • Featurette - 1. MAKING OF BARFLY

Text/Galleries:

  • Film Highlights - 1. Barbet Schroeder - Director
  • 2. Faye Dunaway - Star
  • 3. Mickey Rourke - Star
  • 4. Additional Cast

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
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N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
06/11/08
Variety
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C+

A lowlife seriocomedy.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/20/06
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
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4/5

No review available.

comment Comment
10/27/05
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily
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3/5

No review available.

comment Comment
05/04/05
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals
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4/5

No review available.

comment Comment
11/23/04
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
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3/5

An audacious movie about skid-row existentialism.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/27/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice
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2/5

No review available.

comment Comment
07/02/04
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)
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2/5

No review available.

comment Comment
05/27/04
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly
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4/5

No review available.

comment Comment
04/08/04
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
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4/5

Captures Bukowski well.

comment Comment
01/05/04
Mark Robison
Reno Gazette-Journal
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4/5

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Full Review | comment Comment
08/27/03
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
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4/5

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Full Review | comment Comment
07/30/03
TV Guide's Movie Guide
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N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
05/20/03
Vincent Canby
New York Times
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4/5

Rourke and Dunaway are dynamite

comment Comment
04/27/03
Clint Morris
Moviehole
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3/5

No review available.

comment Comment
10/29/02
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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3/5

A terrific little film that features the best performance Mickey Rourke has ever given. It drags you into its world and makes you care about the characters.

comment Comment
08/08/02
Larry Carroll
Countingdown.com
N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
01/01/00
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
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N/R

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01/01/00
Rita Kempley
Washington Post
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