Customer Reviews

Bartleby

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This film is an adaptation of a short story written by Herman Melville almost 150 years ago. Yet the message of one man's refusal to be a cog in the wheel of industry is a theme that can be well understood today. The screenplay, written by Jonathan Parker and Catherine DiNapoli, creates a surreal suburban office environment, where the office complex is a monolithic boxlike structure, decorated in lime-green and tangerine. The work is tedious, the pay low and the job consists of categorizing and filing an endless amount of public documents.

There's the boss, played with deadpan dignity as well as a lot of heart, by David Paymer. There are the office workers: Joe Piscopo, cast as Rocky, the "know-it-all ladies man; Maury Chaykin cast as Ernie, a pathetic complainer; and Glenne Headly, cast as Vivian, the office flirt. I don't usually like comedies but I found myself laughing at loud at the satire of office situations carried to extreme, such as Ernie's struggle with the photocopy machine and the only fresh air coming from a ceiling vent that is fuzzy with dust.

The scene is set for the introduction of the title character, Bartleby, played by Crispin Glover. He's a tall, shy man who stammers when he speaks although also he makes a strong physical presence. At first he's good at his work, but little by little, when asked to do a task, he simply replies, "I prefer not to."

The setting might have been updated to modern times, but it followed Melville's story in theme and intent. And the eventual impact that Bartleby makes on the boss keeps the original tone. The boss's role is the most demanding as he goes though his own kind of changes during the course of the film and David Paymer's performance is outstanding. The other characters are excellent but their roles more static, and don't call for a wide variety of changes in emotional intensity.

There's a slight unsettling feeling to the film and it's not for everyone. It tries to blend a serious theme with comedy. However, as someone who has worked in offices all my life, I must say that the director really got the essence of what dead-end jobs and co-worker personalities are all about. However, I was the only person in the theater laughing.

I recommend this film for those acquainted with the Melville classic and for those who will appreciate an offbeat theme. Others might just not get it.

I was originally NOT going to give Bartleby 5 stars, but with all the bad reviews here, I thought I would even things out a bit. I think a lot of people just didn't get it, although granted the short story by Herman Melville that Bartleby is based on is certainly a lot easier relate to. The movie was sort of parody thereof. It been suggested that Bartleby is suffering from soul sickness. That he is dead inside from all the years spent at the dead letter office. He is just existing on existence's most minimalist level. He'd "prefer not to" because he realizes the futility of it all. I think the biggest problem with the movie was that they were trying to turn something heavy into a "comedy" when clearly the label doesn't apply.

The acting I thought was great especially Crispin Glover and Glenne Headly. Also the colors that they used were fantastic, Crispin Glover was literally black and white , in fact I am sure they used makeup on Crispin, there is no way he is that pale.

Overall highly recommend if you are looking for something a bit different.

Jonathan Parker has fashioned an occasionally very funny dark comedy based on Herman Melville's novelette Bartleby the Scrivener in which Crispin Glover nails the title character dead solid perfect. Set in an obscure, tiny Public Records office, Parker effectively transposes Melville's constrained environment to the present day--although it could just as easily be set at any time from the 60s up to today.

The other office staff--Maury Chaykin's wacky, frustrated Ernie; Joe Piscopo's tough-guy, macho Rocky; and Glenn Headly's "sultry, steamy, and moist" Vivian are great characters as well, as is the head of the office played by David Paymer. The casting is excellent and in one truly hilarious sequence, Ernie fumbles a printer toner cartridge into a water cooler with disastrously uproarious consequences.

Three quarters of the film is great as we see Bartleby repeatedly declaim his stance of individuality--the only thing he can cling to--"I would prefer not to". He's eventually let go by the boss and here Paymer, to his credit, does an excellent job at conveying the humanity that a boss should ideally have and that, sadly, is missing all too often--and at the same time, underlying the humor in the situation(s).

Yet the ending of the film is a serious letdown. By then, the comedy has completely vanished and we are left with a portentous (and oft-repeated) declamation by Paymer of the film's tagline that, unfortunately, sours the film too much. Had Parker sustained the sharpness, wit, and intelligence greatly in evidence prior to the heavy-handed ending, this would have been an excellent addition to the small group of black workplace comedies (Shock to the System, Swimming with Sharks, et. al.) that have given a much-needed kick in the pants to the overly serious requirements of the American office.

As it is, the ending drastically weakens the film. But it's worth seeing for the great characters which also include Seymour Cassel as a higher-up and Carrie Snodgress as a haughty publisher, and for the witty repartee. (Glenn Headly, in particular, is great).

The head of a public records office advertises for a new employee. Only one person responds--Bartleby, a former postal worker who at first files like a demon then lapses into apathy. Bartleby stands all day looking at an air vent in the ceiling, responding to every request from his boss and coworkers with, "I would prefer not to." Eventually the boss retaliates with passive-aggressive acts aimed at getting rid of the man. Till the very end, however, Bartleby remains an enigma, a human cipher who refuses to give up his secrets.

Hardly an engaging story premise? That's what I thought when I waded through Herman Melville's mid-nineteenth century novella "Bartleby the Scrivener" in a college lit class. Sure, the story has an important theme and some interesting symbolism, but it's also dull, dull, dull. However, director Jonathan Parker has taken the best sort of revenge on this canonical work of American literature; he's turned it into a zany, low-budget, laugh fest--getting across many of the story's essential ideas while also entertaining his audience. Parker has approached the sort of exaggerated, stale, depressing office atmosphere seen at the beginning of "Joe Versus the Volcano" and turned it inside out, covering it with a colorful, kitschy facade to inflate the absurdity of modern information mills.

Essential to the success of the film is the fine ensemble cast. Crispin Glover deserves more lead roles, and though with Bartleby he does spend most of his time immobile and silent, perhaps no other actor can accomplish more with simple posture, well-manipulated expressions, and quirky movement. Glenne Headly is a scream in her exaggerated seduction attempts aimed at Seymour Cassel. Joe Piscopo is also in fine form as the office macho man, though he has aged dramatically since we saw him last in, what . . . "Wise Guys"? Maury Chaykin plays the overweight and nerve-racked Ernie with comic flair--fiddling with desktop windup toys only to flinch every time they jump, and pulling off an impressive physical comedy scene involving a sandwich, a photocopier, and a watercooler. Finally, David Paymer as "The Boss" provides a solid focus for the film with his adaptive performance of a complex character.

"Bartleby" is an odd film... strangely unsettling and sad and yet funny at once. The over-bright, almost out-of-place colors and eerie score combined with Crispin Glover's performance give the film an almost haunting quality. This is the kind of movie that really sticks with you. Personally I thought it was quite funny, but the humor is rather off-beat and might not appeal to everyone. The ending was phenomenal in my opinion but again might not strike the right cord for everyone. However I fully recommend this film for fans of the tragic and the surreal.

Melville's sometimes disturbing and creepy text gets a fine rendition, overall, in this 2000 Jonathan Parker adaptation. Crispin Glover is remarkable as Bartelby, and Glenne Headly is a fine boss.
Some of the other characterizations, however, don't work quite as well. Neither does the dialog that isn't from Melville. But don't let the unevenness of the movie put you off. It is the kind thing that folks who like this kind of thing would prefer. Or not.

Write a review about this film? I would prefer not to.

P.S. The "video" to the song BEN with Crispin's commentary is worth the price of the disc alone. I s**t you not.

Bartleby is endearing in it's own quirky way. My favorite scenes were Maury Chaiken's fiasco with the copier ink and the water cooler, and the office performance of "Wax Man".
Unless you appreciate dark humor, indie film endeavors, and movies with subtitles, etc., you're probably best off passing on "Bartleby", and sticking with more mainstream fare

Based on one of Herman Melville's less popular works `Bartleby the Scrivener' (heck, Moby Dick was somewhat ill received at the time it came out, probably due to allegorical nature), Bartleby (2001) is a wonderfully honest and true to its' source film providing a fairly seamless update of a story written over 150 years ago.

Co-written and directed by Jonathan Parker (his first film), Bartleby stars the ever enigmatic (and kinda creepy) Crispin Glover (River's Edge) along with David Paymer (Payback), Glenne Headly (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Maury Chaykin (A Nero Wolf Mystery), Seymour Cassel (Tin Men), and Joe Piscopo...also appearing are Carrie Snodgrass (The Attic) and Dick Martin (Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In).

The film takes place in the present day, set in a modest public records office. The boss (Paymer) has received news of more work coming their way, due to a lucrative government contract or such, and decides, in his prudent pragmatism, to hire on an extra person to help deal with the increased workload. In a completely hilarious bit of un-realism, he composes a want ad, one would expect to see for a position involving risks, adventure, and great rewards, not one befitting the unassuming and ultimately duller than dull tasks involved with working in a public records office i.e. filing, fact checking, ect. (in the original story, they were scriveners, or, basically, human copy machines). What makes it so hilarious is not only the wording of the ad, but the notion that Paymer's character thinks it's suitable...Vivian (Headly) opts not to post the ad, instead re-writing it to encompass, in her eyes, a very honest interpretation of said position, i.e. low pay, boring work, etc. Despite (or, because of) the ad's bluntness, one applicant does appear, in a thin, pasty, soft-spoken man named Bartleby (Glover). Upon seeing no one else is going to apply, Paymer's character hires Bartleby, and things seem to work out well, as Bartleby works very quickly and efficiently, but that soon changes as this once superior worker has now becomes non-working worker, picking and choosing what tasks he wishes to perform (fewer and fewer each day), with the standard reply of "I'd prefer not to" to those menial tasks he wishes to no longer perform. This sets off a quiet struggle between Paymer's character and...the wall? It might was well be, as Bartleby is as about forthcoming, offering no explanations of any kind for his non-working (oh, he still shows up everyday, he just doesn't do any work). You'd think this would be cause to terminate the employment of said individual, and Paymer's character tries, but just isn't successful, almost as if he can't, like he's somehow bound to Bartleby in unseen fashion (perhaps a magic tether, one made up of a combination of feelings ranging from guilt to envy).

The best part of this contemporary retelling of Melville's classic tale is Paymer, a conformist struggling to understand and come to terms with this non-conformist entity that he has inadvertently allowed into his environment, which has now taken hold like a mold settling into a home. His frustration grows rapidly, as Bartleby continually confounds his employer with his unrelenting, pacifistic stance of not working, refusing to perform even the simplest of tasks, and offering no reasoning or cause for his behavior. Glover does very well as Bartleby, and given that he has so few lines, his character must come through in non-verbal means, and does, in a truly cryptic and puzzling manner. The impression I got was that this character was posing a non-confrontational rebellion against the tedium inherent within the bureaucracy that forces people into the unnatural state of accepting automatons, extracting and crushing the very soul of these individuals by means of menial and tedious tasks for the sake of keeping the machine alive. Another actor I though did well was Glenne Headly as Vivian, the office manager, and only woman, tempting her male counterparts with homemade candies and a flirtatious nature. It struck me more that her character acted the way she did to validate her feministic qualities, to her co-workers, and herself, as the day to day humdrum works to obfuscate such qualities, as they only serve to disrupt and distract from the nature of the work. Chaykin was good, as the sort of office nut and hypochondriac, unwilling to participate in niceties often associated with people who maintain a day-to-day business relationship, and little else. Piscopo did better than I thought, as the smarmy, sleazy office Lothario (his amorous activities remain mostly outside of business hours), but I couldn't help wonder if he was just playing the role as directed, or if he understood his position within the context the story, and the story itself. The bits of humor interspersed throughout the film, those not inherent to the original story, helped to make this easier to take for those not familiar with Melville's absurd tale, but I think those who are familiar with the source material will not be disappointed. Some things have changed (which character was Vivian supposed to represent? Nipper? Ginger Nut?), mostly superficial, but the core elements are here, and come through very well. I thought the direction was done well and helped present the story as well as anyone could to the silver screen. The sets were minimal (love that 2nd office), providing a suitable backdrop. Basing the entire score around Theremin music was an interesting choice, and one that seemed entirely appropriate, but it still got on my nerves after awhile.

The non-anamorphic wide screen print provided on this DVD looked pretty good, from what I could tell. I've heard others have had problems with after images trailing the actors, but I saw none. The sound is quite good, and there are two options; Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. As far as special features, there are more than I would have thought including a trailer, filmographies, interviews, a featurette titles About the Theremin, and a mini-director commentary.

Cookieman108

I'LL KEEP THIS REVIEW SHORT AND SIMPLE. Bartleby has become one of my most favorite indie films to date. It's so bizzare and different, it truely stands out from any movie I've ever seen. I used to work in an office like this and its painfully realistic in my opininon. Granted, the characters in this movie are exaggerated for entertainment purposes but I can totally recall past co-workers in this film. This movie is bound to become a cult classic. If you enjoy dark and oddball comedies, this movie has your name all over it.