What a great movie!
This movie is supposed to be funny right? Because I sure laughed my ass off.
I can’t believe this movie flew under my radar for so long.
I saw it. I wanted to really like it as I’m a huge Bukowski fan but I found the movie to be far too clean and simplistic to capture the essence of his writing. Shame.
Though I liked the movie, I think this is a very fair criticism. On his best day Bukowski (or anyone who lives like he or his autobiographical characters lived) never looked like Matt Dillon. I belive there’s a documentary on Bukwoski called Born Into This. Watch and compare to Factotum
I’ll keep my eyes open for it.
+1. Also, they seemed to glaze over some of the more disturbing parts of the book.
Not a horrible movie by any means, though Barfly was much better.
Heh, funny. I didn’t know this movie was actually supposed to be about somebody.
*Off to google Bukwoski. *
Yes, it’s about Charles Henry (Hank to his friends) Bukowski, an American poet and prose writer. His writing focusses on alcoholic drinking, women, gambling, and writing and generally is set in and around Los Angeles. I believe the story that Hank Chinowski is trying to get published in Factotum is similar if not identical in title to the Bukowski story my beerdrunk soul is sadder than all the dead christmas trees of the world. Probably the most famous adaptation of his work is the Mickey Rourke, Faye Dunnaway movie Barfly that mbetter references. It’s not for the faint of heart. Not exactly pick-me-up, feel-good stuff.
I like Dillon and Lili Taylor, so I found the whole enterprise interesting, with the extended excerpts from CB’s work well-handled. Plus Fisher Stevens is a surprise in a fairly unconventional role (for him).
But who am I kidding? It was the first movie with a Marisa Tomei (sigh) nude scene (fleeting though it is), so that’s why I saw it in the first place. :o