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Barfly (1987)

R 100 min  -  Comedy | Drama | Romance  -   16 October 1987 (USA)
7.1
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Ratings: 7.1/10 from 8,360 users  
Reviews: 77 user | 48 critic

Henry Chinaski never cared for the American dream, the thought of needing to become 'something' and fit into the system disgusts him... See full summary »

Director:

Barbet Schroeder
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Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 3 nominations See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mickey Rourke ...
Faye Dunaway ...
Alice Krige ...
Jack Nance Jack Nance ...
Detective
J.C. Quinn J.C. Quinn ...
Jim
Frank Stallone ...
Sandy Martin ...
Janice
Roberta Bassin ...
Lilly
Gloria LeRoy Gloria LeRoy ...
Joe Unger ...
Ben
Harry Cohn Harry Cohn ...
Rick
Pruitt Taylor Vince ...
Joe
Joe Rice Joe Rice ...
Old Man in Bar
Julie 'Sunny' Pearson Julie 'Sunny' Pearson ...
Hooker in Bar
Donald L. Norden Donald L. Norden ...
Man in Alley
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Storyline

Henry Chinaski never cared for the American dream, the thought of needing to become 'something' and fit into the system disgusts him. He believes that life is free and yours to live like you see fit, and if that in some cases involves copious amounts of whiskey then so be it. Henry spends his days drinking and listening to the radio, and he spends his nights drinking and fighting against Eddy who he thinks personifies shallowness and shameless self promoting. Sometimes in the middle of this he finds the time to jot down a few lines of poetry or a short story. After fighting Eddy and winning for a change Henry is thrown out of his regular bar where Eddy is a bartender. This leads him to seek another watering hole where he happens to find Wanda who is a barfly, in her own words "if another man came along with a fifth of whiskey, I'd go with him". Henry is not fazed by this thou and moves in with her... Written by Erik Wallen <erik.wallen@bluetie.com>  

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Bar | Whiskey | Bartender | Fight | Radio  | See more »

Taglines:

Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead.

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Baarikärpänen See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$45,900 (USA) (18 October 1987) (2 Screens)

Gross:

$3,221,568 (USA)
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Company Credits

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

USA:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

In its obituary of Bukowski, "The New York Post" used a photo of Mickey Rourke as Henry Chinaski in "Barfly" instead of a photo of the poet himself. See more »

Goofs

Continuity: Henry calls an ambulance and gives address of apartment building as 334, while in scene earlier that day building is clearly marked 360. See more »

Quotes

Henry: You know, in the guest house, you could write in peace.
Tully: Hey, Tully baby, nobody who could write worth a damn could ever write in peace, Jesus.
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Connections

Referenced in "At the Movies: Summer Special 2008/09 (#5.42)" (2008) See more »

Soundtracks

"Poem of Ecstasy"
By Alexander Scriabin
Courtesy of Supraphon Records, Prague See more »