esrosedotblog

BARFLY (1987)

Today's movie; NYTimes1176Best: Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway; biopic short story by and about Charles Bukowski--avowed low bottom alcoholic; defines the term self-destruction. Bukowski relates in short story form his 'discovery' by the literati; the cash fuels his disease. The film ends as it begins. The cycle.

The whole enterprise is pretty effective. While it is realistic, it is also a fantasy; but then, it is told by the alkie; watch out for the reliability quotient. It is interesting that no defense or explanation is given for alcoholism; which is OK; all you have to do is watch it to get it. Of course, I have an inside view; and, even though I haven't had a drink in 25 years, it all made sense to me. I suspect that it looks insane to a normie. But then, that is it! Bottled insanity.

The little side vignettes are all very good. Pruitt Taylor Vince is in it; the guy with the eyes that never stop moving; and, Bukowski himself is a bar patron; but we don't know which one. He should have had a keylight. I have never really seen Mickey Rourke before. Well, I have seen him in DINER and some other films. In recent years he passes in and out rather quickly. He has had a short, bright, flamed out career. I suspect that he identifies more than a little bit with his character. The other day I saw him in a web site that shows plastic surgery jobs that have gone bad; cheek implants, a new nose, all displayed under very very tight skin. It is in fact the photo he has given to IMDb. Anyway, he rules the screen in this except when Dunaway turns it on. What can I say about Faye. She is the reigning deity of picturesque parts. Is 'deity' the feminine form? Anyway. Faye, way.

This film is very hard to watch but I know a couple of Bukowski fans who should see it if they missed it. A 3 out of Netflix5. I don't usually do this: Roger Ebert; who on his own is actually a great reviewer, totally unreliable with the thumbs; has put it all down in a really nice way that I could never hope to.