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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.
All Critics (58) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (52) | Rotten (6) | DVD (5)
It's at its best when young Barton Fink simply stares at a picture of a bathing beauty contemplating the ocean -- a Hollywood dream. Jan 16, 2013 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…
It's at its best when young Barton Fink simply stares at a picture of a bathing beauty contemplating the ocean -- a Hollywood dream.
Gene Siskel
Gnomic, claustrophobic, hallucinatory, just plain weird, it is the kind of movie critics can soak up thousands of words analyzing and cinephiles can soak up at least three espressos arguing their way through. Oct 13, 2009 | Full Review…
Gnomic, claustrophobic, hallucinatory, just plain weird, it is the kind of movie critics can soak up thousands of words analyzing and cinephiles can soak up at least three espressos arguing their way through.
Richard Schickel
Again the Coens take familiar movie tropes and twist them into something new. This may be their most haunting movie. Oct 18, 2008 | Full Review…
Again the Coens take familiar movie tropes and twist them into something new. This may be their most haunting movie.
David Ansen
Scene after scene is filled with a ferocious strength and humor. Nov 6, 2007 | Full Review…
Scene after scene is filled with a ferocious strength and humor.
Variety Staff
This creepy satire is full of laughs and flaky twists, but by the end you may still be scratching your head. Nov 6, 2007 | Full Review…
This creepy satire is full of laughs and flaky twists, but by the end you may still be scratching your head.
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Somehow everything coheres, thanks to the Coens' superb writing and assured direction, and a roster of marvellous performances. The result works on numerous levels, thrilling the mind, ears and eyes, and racking the nerves. Jan 26, 2006 | Full Review…
Somehow everything coheres, thanks to the Coens' superb writing and assured direction, and a roster of marvellous performances. The result works on numerous levels, thrilling the mind, ears and eyes, and racking the nerves.
Geoff Andrew
In their dark comic masterpiece "Bartin Fink," [The Coens] draw the line between artistic integrity and artistic smugness. Jan 7, 2019 | Rating: 10/10 | Full Review…
In their dark comic masterpiece "Bartin Fink," [The Coens] draw the line between artistic integrity and artistic smugness.
Gary Shannon
It was like a witty and stylish description of a dripping tap or a damp sock. Dripping taps and damp socks are all very well, I thought to myself at the end of the film, but when it comes to the crunch, who gives a fink? Jul 24, 2018 | Full Review…
It was like a witty and stylish description of a dripping tap or a damp sock. Dripping taps and damp socks are all very well, I thought to myself at the end of the film, but when it comes to the crunch, who gives a fink?
Vanessa Letts
Weird, funny, would-be cult film, filled with its strange spaces and surreal dream logic. Aug 24, 2017 | Rating: 4/4 | Full Review…
Weird, funny, would-be cult film, filled with its strange spaces and surreal dream logic.
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Part "Eraserhead" and part "Naked Lunch," "Barton Fink" is like whitefish on sand. Feb 14, 2017 | Rating: B | Full Review…
Part "Eraserhead" and part "Naked Lunch," "Barton Fink" is like whitefish on sand.
Cole Smithey
Goes off the deep end. Apr 4, 2011 | Rating: B | Full Review…
Goes off the deep end.
Dennis Schwartz
Bizarre Hollywood dream factory. Teens only. Jan 2, 2011 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…
Bizarre Hollywood dream factory. Teens only.
Kelly Kessler
Good performances pepper this work about ... well, what is it about? The naivete of youthful idealism? The plasticity of Hollywood maybe? Or maybe the latent savagery of the world at large? Any who, it's all thrown into the pot here and stirred to a frothy burn. The Coens seem to have mastered the fine old world skill of speaking at length very intelligently while never in fact saying a blessed thing. Never uninteresting and fascinating to observe. .. for a bit.
Super Reviewer
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An always smart and intriguing film that combines acid criticism (especially of Hollywood) and a surreal feel of nightmare the way the Coen brothers do best, with a cynical, sophisticated sense of humor, priceless dialogue and a delicious gallery of fascinating characters.
Barton Fink is a great film directed by the Coen Brothers, and it tells a really compelling story based on a smartly, well written screenplay that only the Coen Brothers could write. Each of their films are unique in their own way and this is very much the case with this impressive movie. A talented Playwright goes to Hollywood to start work on his first screenplay, and he discovers that Hollywood is much harder than what he thought it was going to be. The portrayal of Barton Fink is immaculate in the hands of actor John Torturro, who has done some impressive work with the Coens since. With this film, he really displays the talent that he uses to great advantage, and you are simply captivated by his performance. This is a superb drama film that is among their best piece of work. With a brilliant cast at their disposal, and a well written script, Barton Fink is a must watch for viewers that enjoy a compelling dramatic work. Barton Fink isn't a perfect film, but nonetheless it is a fine example of why the Coen Brothers are terrific filmmakers who can tell an engaging story. Barton Fink is a well crafted picture that showcases great talent on-screen and it is a film that stands out among the Coen Brothers strongest efforts. That is a strong statement, because each of their efforts are well executed, well thought out storylines and effective performances that really make their work stand out among other directors. I really enjoyed the film, and thought that the cast and story were quite wonderful, and it could have been better in some areas, but overall this is yet another solid piece of cinema from two directors who know how to spin a terrific yarn.
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