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Barfly

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Barfly (1987)

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81 %
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Reviews Counted:16

Fresh:13

Rotten:3

Average Rating:6.9/10

Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins

Genre: Dramas

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... 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]

Starring: Mickey Rourke, Faye Dunaway, Alice Krige, Frank Stallone

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

Director: Barbet Schroeder

Director: Barbet Schroeder
Screenwriter: Charles Bukowski

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Release:

Jun 30, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region 0
  • Widescreen - 1.77

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo - English
 
 
 
 

Reviews for Barfly

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Charles Bukowski's semi-autobiographical short story-cum-screenplay is rich fodder for filmmaker Schroeder, who squeezes all the available juice out of it in a sensitively directed film

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
06/05/09
Andrew L. Urban
Andrew L. Urban
Urban Cinefile
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
06/11/08
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A lowlife seriocomedy.

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

Click to read the article

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

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

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

No review available.

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

No review available.

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

An audacious movie about skid-row existentialism.

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

No review available.

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

No review available.

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

No review available.

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

Captures Bukowski well.

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

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
08/27/03
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
07/30/03
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Rourke and Dunaway are dynamite

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

No review available.

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

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
Larry Carroll
Countingdown.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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