Barton FinkMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 69 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Washington Post | Rita Kempley

    What "Raising Arizona" was to baby lust, "Barton Fink" is to writer's block -- a rapturously funny, strangely bittersweet, moderately horrifying and, yes, truly apt description of the condition and its symptoms. Read full review

  • 100
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    Stimulating entertainment, as rigorously challenging and painfully funny as anything the Coens have done. But it's necessary to meet the Coens halfway. If you don't, Barton Fink is an empty exercise that will bore you breathless. If you do, it's a comic nightmare that will stir your imagination like no film in years. Read full review

  • 100
    The New York Times |

    An unqualified winner. Here is a fine dark comedy of flamboyant style and immense though seemingly effortless techniqe...It's an exhilarating original. [21 Aug 1991] Read full review

  • 90
    Variety |

    Scene after scene is filled with a ferocious strength and humor. Michael Lerner's performance as a Mayer-like studio overlord is sensational. Read full review

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    A black comedy in the tradition of David Lynch, Luis Bunuel and the Coens themselves...an assured piece of comic filmmaking. Read full review

  • 88
    USA Today | Mike Clark

    Though less than the sum of its brilliant parts, the Coens' latest will still be must viewing in 32 years. [21 Aug 1991] Read full review

  • 75
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    Barton Fink has an atmosphere of languid comic anxiety (it's like a cross between "Eraserhead" and "Angel Heart"), and it's fun to watch, if only because you have no idea what's coming next. Read full review

  • 60
    Wall Street Journal | Julie Salamon

    But even as the film's weaknesses make themselves more and more apparent, so does Mr. Turturro's virtuosity. [15 Aug 1991, p.A10(E)] Read full review

  • 60
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    Like the mysterious, bound package Goodman gives Turturro (the contents are never revealed), the Coens isolate a small area of interest, bind it with psycho-atmospheric finesse, then wait for something significant to emerge. Even after a second viewing of this movie, it doesn't. Read full review

  • 60
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    Exhilarating and frustrating at the same time... the Coens' skill is such that you're not averse to following them anywhere, but every once in a while you can't help wishing they weren't so dead set against throwing the rest of us at least a hint of what's on their minds. [21 Aug 1991] Read full review

View more reviews for Barton Fink on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Bizarre Hollywood dream factory. Teens only.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this movie isn't for kids.Young teens may also find this film very disturbing -- it includes very graphic violence and unclear definitions of right and wrong. The police do not act responsibly.
  • Families can talk about the violence in this film. How does it make them feel? This movie also begs questions about the place of art in Hollywood. What do the viewers think about the film's construction of Hollywood? Is film art or commerce? This film also presents an excellent opportunity to discuss film style. The Coen brothers' style contrasts to that of classical Hollywood cinema in various ways. How does it differ in terms of narrative? Character development? Aesthetics?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Not an issue
What to watch for
  • violence false5 Violence: Onscreen violence consists of a very bloody murder, gruesome gunplay, and minor fistfights. Implied off-screen violence is highly disturbing, with discussions of murder and dismemberment.
  • sex false3 Sex: One tame sex scene.
  • language false3 Language: Some cursing.
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: One character is an alcoholic.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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