Barton Fink
1991 · Movie · R · 117 min · ★ 7.5 · 80% critics
A celebrated playwright heads to Hollywood for a studio job, only to hit a crushing creative block in a shabby hotel that feels increasingly unreal. As deadlines loom and strange encounters pile up, the promise of success turns into a tense, darkly comic spiral that questions what it means to make art for the masses.
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Details
- Years
- 1991
- Release date
- 1991-08-01
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 117 min
- Critic score
- 80/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.5/10 (1,886 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you like strange, brain-teasing stories about creative pressure and Hollywood turning nightmarish, in the vein of Being John Malkovich or Synecdoche, New York; Not for you if you want clear explanations, warmth, and steady pacing.
Pros: surreal, unsettling atmosphere; sharp dark humor; memorable performances | Cons: slow, meandering middle; unclear answers; emotionally distant characters
Themes
- hotel
- screenplay
- mass murder
- movie business
- screenwriter
- neighbor
- los angeles, california
- neo-noir
- 1940s
Awards & recognition
- Palme d'Or · 1991
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actor · 1992 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Costume Design · 1992 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Production Design · 1992 · nominated
Cast & crew
John Turturro
as Barton Fink
John Goodman
as Charlie Meadows
Judy Davis
as Audrey Taylor
Michael Lerner
as Jack Lipnick
John Mahoney
as W.P. Mayhew
Tony Shalhoub
as Ben Geisler
Jon Polito
as Lou Breeze
Steve Buscemi
as Chet
David Warrilow
as Garland Stanford
Richard Portnow
as Detective Mastrionotti
Directed by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen