Customer Reviews

Barfly

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

Barbet Schroeder had long wanted to bring Bukowski to the screen, and finally found his vehicle in "Barfly," based on a screenplay he commissioned from Bukowski, who wrote a very amusing book, "Hollywood," on the making of the film, which is a must read for anyone who wants to gain a full appreciation for the movie.

Rourke was not Bukowski's first choice. Afterall, Rourke is an East Coast type, but he managed to fit himself to the role in fine gusto, taking on the persona of Bukowski in his early years in LA. Bukowski considered Faye Dunaway one of the last big-time Hollywood actresses, and speaks of her affectionately throughout his book. Bukowski didn't know what to make of Schroeder, who seemed to be singularly obsessed with Bukowski's life and times, to the point of trying to live it to capture the full essence of LA's skid row. Bukowski himself was enjoying a measure of success by this point, driving a BMW, an enjoying the finer things in life.

The film moves along at a brisk pace, bringing together a motley assortment of characters with Rourke playing his role to the hilt. Dunaway is first class as his punch drunk love. This is Rourke at his smarmiest best, take him or leave him, as one would Bukowski, who isn't everyone's bottle of muscatel.

This movie was my introduction to Bukowski. Back in 1987 I was an 18 year-old suburbanite on the verge of college and, without knowing it, many great discoveries. This would be one of the most enduring. I went to see it because I had loved Rourke in ANGEL HEART. I had no idea what to expect, I had never read Bukowski and only knew the name from a couple of songs that mentioned him. Rourke was absolutely fantastic in the film...I'd never seen a charcter like this (and haven't since). But what hit me was the writing--the script--how the life of down-and-outers could be so compelling and human and humorous. These bums weren't to be pitied, laughed at, or condemned. Wow. Since no bookstores in Fresno sold Bukowski I had to check out his books at the CSUF library, and thank God they had them all. POST OFFICE was the first, and I immediately saw the same wild humor from BARFLY. I've been hooked ever since, and to this day anxiously await each new Buk book. I also wish someone would turn either POST OFFICE, WOMEN, or HAM ON RYE into a movie. Paul Verhoeven had supposedly started shooting WOMEN back in the early '90s. What happened. Taylor Hackford has never filmed PO, which he owns the film rights to. Bits of HAM ON RYE are in the Belgian film LOVE IS A DOG FROM HELL (CRAZY LOVE). Someone out there in tinseltown has got to be able to do Buk justice and not let BARFLY be the only worthwhile bit of filmdom attributed to him (forget about the utterly disappointing TALES OF ORDINARY MADNESS, Gazzara is awful, and the script is filled with pomposity that would make Buk himself puke). Until then watch and rewatch BARFLY as often as you can.

This movie is profoundly entertaining. Pick up and read some of the great Bukowski novels (Ham On Rye, Post Office, Factotum, and more), short stories (Tales of Ordinary Madness, South of No North), and books of poetry (Love Is A Dog From Hell, Play The Piano Drunk Like A Percussion Instrument Until The Fingers Begin To Bleed A Bit) and you will get a glimpse into the darkest depths of the supremely talented and tormented Charles Bukowski. This film is filled with so many quotable lines and is the only film of its kind. Mickey Rourke plays a wonderful Henry Chinaski and Faye Dunaway is brilliant. Pay attention to when Henry spots Wanda from across the bar. In that scene, when they pan across the bar, the old man tilting back a bottle of Budweiser is none other than the actual Charles Bukowski himself. For fans of Bukowski, this is a must see. For those of you who don't know him, read his stuff before and after you see this film and you will potentially find yourself turned on to one of the greatest poets and writers of the 20th century.

I first caught Barfly on Late Night Television about 12 years ago and instantly fell in love with it. I had been looking for a cheap used Uncut VHS copy of this for awhile and just couldn't come across one. So I just purchased The DVD version. I am glad I did. Nothing like watching an older Film without the VHS wear lines and squiggles. Back to Barfly, it stars Mickey Rourke in a powerhouse role as Henry Chinaski a mostly drunk modern day poet disenfranchised by life. Faye Dunaway does an awesome job as Crazy Wanda Wilcox, Henry's love interest and self styled drunk herself . Barfly contains an excellent cast, even Frank Stallone shows up in a great role as Eddie the Bartender. Barfly contains many lines that once you hear them they will be burned into your conciousness forever. ("To All My Friends"). Barfly Blows away Leaving Las Vegas and puts Nicholas Cage to shame. I can't believe no Oscar Nominations were handed out for this Film. Barbet Scroeder directed a true masterpiece. Writen by Charles Bukowski and Loosely based on his life, and I say loosely. The DVD version has some extras which include a piece on the making of Barfly. You can't go wrong with owning this picture perfect un-cut version of Barfly.

I really enjoy(ed) this movie. In fact I don't treat it as a movie at all, I treat it like one of my favorite CDs. I put it in while I'm preparing a meal and it gently brings me into another world. So I guess what I like about it is the realism of the characters, as far as the 9 or 10 major actors go its absolutely perfect. I think I've watched it about 30 times.

You either love and adore this should-be classic or it disgusts you! This film has had quite an influence on me personally, in both good and bad ways (laughs).
There can be little denying that this is one 80's film that has not dated poorly; it is a timeless gem that almost feels like a great noir film. Mickey Rourke is fabulous here, giving one of the greatest performances of his career. Somehow, actor Mickey Rourke, writer Charles Bukowski, and director Barbet Schroeder have created the least likely protagonist imaginable, and yet the viewer cannot help but root for this genuine underdog!
The DVD of this wonderful film is in widescreen format with a crystal clear picture, a great commentary by director Barbet Schroeder, a making-of documentary, and filmed interviews with Bukowsi himself. This is a first-rate DVD, and a must-own for even those who are curious about the film.
Barbet Schroeder states it best when he says the film is intended to be uplifting and funny, which it truly is. Watch this film drunk and you'll be in danger of laughing to death.

This movie, as apparently simple as it is, is in fact very entertaining, to the point of addiction. This is one of the few movies that I am able to watch over and over and never tire of it. The highlight of the movie to me is the writing of Charles Bukowski; it's obvious that every word has a purpose in this movie--namely, to express the general theme of lack of purpose and circularity in the life of Henry Chinaski, the film's main character. Despite the repetitiveness of the movie, the film never drags and there is something genuine about each and every scene. This film pays attention to every detail. Although there is no single plot, there are instead several interwoven themes and sub-plots that come and go effortlessly (For example, the violent couple that lives next door to Wanda's apartment. Throughout the film, we hear the anger of these people through the walls, contrasting with the strange peacefulness of Henry when he is alone and when he is with Wanda. Finally, this sub-plot comes to the forefront when Henry is visited by the publisher: "It's love!" shrieks the beaten woman. Another example is the extended theme of angels--Wanda's angel, Henry's angels [Wanda and the rich publisher], and the neon flying horse with angel wings in the window....) Overall, this film expresses an honesty that is rare in today's movies and is full of interesting mazes and crevices beneath the simplicity of the surface.

Much like many of the other reviews featured on Amazon about this movie, I love the film Barfly and think it is a true masterpiece. Everyone should own this movie--however, the ridiculous folks selling used/new copies on this site for $100.00 and more should be ignored and not patronized with customers at all for trying to swindle folks for a movie. This is a $15.00 DVD. The movie will be re-released in 2010, so just hang in there. In the meantime, download it here as a digital copy--or from somewhere else (it'll cost you about $10.00), then burn it to a DVD on your computer. Problem solved, you have a fantastic movie, and you didn't spend the ridiculous prices listed here (one person has a copy for over $600.00!).

Yes, this movie is raw, gritty and nasty because it depicts characters far more raw, gritty and nasty than those of us who might own a DVD player. The movie is a brilliant classic that can seriously open your mind to the emptiness of the status quo life; the madness in being just another, normal, blank face in the crowd; the option we all have to live like royalty, by our own rules, in our own right. Most people won't understand because they've never explored themselves deeply enough and critically enough to simply let themselves go crazy. There is a real point to farting, belching, and getting the snot knocked out of you in a dingy alley, just like there is a point to climbing a mountain. It's about that internal journey one must face if he is not to whither away amidst the mundane.

Barfly is one of my favorite movies of all time. If you want to witness a gritty, honest portrayal of a good man's life rent Barfly. Henry Chinaski is like you or me but Henry is an alcoholic who, by choice or not, chooses to live his life drink to drink. He makes no excuses for his lifestyle and as he asks Jim the Bartendar, "Who made up this rule that we all have to do something, we all have to be something, like a guider pilot or a Narc? Sometimes I get tired of all the things I don't want to do, all the things I don't want to be." Pure Genious!!! If we are honest with ourselves, haven't we all asked ourselves this very same question? Henry meets his match in Wanda and together they persevere in a hopeless world where the only thing that keeps them going is that search for their next drink and their next drunk. Some people who watch this film might view Henry as a bum, but I tend to disagree. As Jim the Bartendar tells Lily the Barfly, "He's as right as any of us." I've seen this movie many many times and each time I see something new and magical. Henry is an almost "Buddah" like character who just accepts his lot in life and lives day to day, drink to drink. He isn't vicious or cruel, rather a kind hearted man who simply does not fit into "societies" rules of success. Henry is true to himself and the life he has chosen for himself, and agree with his choices or not, how many of us can say that of our own lives? Watch Barfly and while viewing it, don't judge Henry but accept him and maybe you'll make a friend in the process.