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Mood:
- CleverHumorousTouching
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Plot:
- Mentally UnstableSocial MisfitsWriter's LifeHuman NatureAddictionAlcohol AbuseArtists and ShowbizLife is a Bitch more...
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Genres:
- DramaRomanceComedy
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Time/Period:
- 20th Century80s
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Place:
- CaliforniaLos AngelesUSA
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Praise:
- Critically Acclaimed
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Style:
- Talky
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Based on:
- Based on Short StoryBiographyBased on True Story
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Attitudes:
- Semi SeriousRealistic
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Flag:
- Drugs/AlcoholNudityProfanityViolent Content
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Barfly, 1987
English
USA
Profile of Barfly
The mood of Barfly is clever, touching, and humorous. The plot centers around alcohol abuse, mental instability, and the life of a writer. It is a drama, romance, and comedy movie. Stylistically, Barfly is talky. In approach, it is realistic. The setting is Los Angeles. Barfly happens in the 1980s. It is derived from a short story, drawn from a biography, and originally a true story. The movie is known for being critically acclaimed. Note that Barfly includes drugs/alcohol, nudity, and profanity.
Summary of Barfly
Based on a semiautobiographical short story by poet and screenwriter Charles Bukowksi and directed by Barbet Schroeder, Barfly offers insight into the world of the alcoholic, where all that matters is the next drink. Henry Chinaski (Mickey Rourke) is a talented writer of prolific prose; unfortunately, he's also a skid-row alcoholic with a violent temper. He picks fights nightly with Eddie (Frank Stallone), the bartender at the local watering hole the Golden Horn and lives in a seedy tenement, stealing food and trying to scrape together enough money for booze. Fellow alcoholic Willa Wilcox (Faye Dunaway) catches Henry's eye at the bar one afternoon, and although she has a reputation for being unstable, the two embark on a relationship with each other and the bottle. Their liaison is full of drama, humor, and irrational behavior; it is put to the test when Henry meets Tully (Alice Krige), a rich, privileged literary editor who wants to publish his stories and save him from himself. The film features exceptional performances from Rourke and Dunaway as they portray the highs and lows that are part and parcel of alcoholism--as well as love.
Details
| Language: | English |
| Country: | USA |
| Release date: | 30 September 1987 |
| Runtime: | 97 min |
Cast and Crew
as Henry Chinaski
Photos
Clips
