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Title: Barton Fink (1991)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| John Turturro | ... | Barton Fink | |
| John Goodman | ... | Charlie Meadows | |
| Judy Davis | ... | Audrey Taylor | |
| Michael Lerner | ... | Jack Lipnick | |
| John Mahoney | ... | W.P. Mayhew | |
| Tony Shalhoub | ... | Ben Geisler | |
| Jon Polito | ... | Lou Breeze | |
| Steve Buscemi | ... | Chet | |
 |
David Warrilow | ... | Garland Stanford |
| Richard Portnow | ... | Detective Mastrionotti | |
| Christopher Murney | ... | Detective Deutsch | |
|
|
I.M. Hobson | ... | Derek |
| Meagen Fay | ... | Poppy Carnahan (as Megan Faye) | |
| Lance Davis | ... | Richard St. Claire | |
|
|
Harry Bugin | ... | Pete |
In the wake of his early but undeniable theatrical success in Broadway, the idealistic author of the proletariat and self-pitying 1940s New York playwright, Barton Fink, finds himself lured to dazzling Hollywood to write scripts for eccentric Jack Lipnick's Capitol Pictures. But, instead of writing a story pivoting around the common man, Fink's first screenplay turns out to be a Wallace Beery wrestling movie, and, before he knows it, he develops a severe case of writer's block. Now, holed up in the seedy, run-down Hotel Earle, before his silent Underwood typewriter, Barton comes to realise that his only hope to meet the deadline is to take inspiration from the burly insurance salesman living next door, Charlie Meadows, and the unassuming secretary, Audrey Taylor. In the meantime, the suffocating stranglehold of artistic bankruptcy tightens. Does self-destructive Barton Fink have the stomach for confronting Hollywood's bitter reality? Written by Nick Riganas
The Coen brothers have come a long way from their start with an 8mm camera. They have written and produced some great homages to the film noir era of Hollywood, and this film is no exception.
First, is the great dialog written by the brothers. Great dialog is a feature of their films, and this one has some of the most memorable I have heard. You can almost turn off the visual and just listen and be enchanted and know you are listening to a Coen brothers film.
But turning off the visual would deprive you of the great cinematography of Roger Deakins. His can frame a scene to the point that you could pause the film and just soak in the texture and color and realism. It is almost as if every frame is a painting.
The Coen brothers also seem to get the best performances out of an actor that I have seen. John Goodman is brilliant in this film and he seems to do his best work for the Coens. John Turturro is captivating as the hack writer who talks about his love for the common man, but just really doesn't know the common man and really doesn't care about them. Michael Lerner was brilliant as the requisite man behind the desk that is the feature of 40's noir.
One doesn't always know what is in the Coen brothers minds. Is this a foretelling of the rise of Nazism, of intellectuals who really didn't understand the appeal of fascism to the common man, or a surreal portrait of someone who sells out. No matter what their intention, they make you think and return to see their films again and again.