Critic Reviews

Barton Fink (1991) Rank 4 Reviews

Expert Review Summary

Movie critics combined give Barton Fink (1991) a score of 3.1306 out of 4

based on (64) reviews

Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating

Excellent

(17)

Very Good

(43)

Good

(3)

Fair

(1)

Poor

(0)

Reviews by Score:

Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)

Partly hilarious, partly horrific, totally mesmerizing. ...read the complete Barton Fink movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)

eFilmCritic

Written during a bout of writer's block while penning the gangster saga Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink represents an artistic leap forward for The Coen Brothers. ...read the complete Barton Fink movie review at eFilmCritic

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 ...read the complete Barton Fink movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)

Randy Parker

Hollywood movies, good or bad, tend to be fairly predictable, since they almost always conform to the conventions of a genre. A successful movie can overcome this limitation in a number of ways. It may add a novel twist to an otherwise familiar story ...read the complete Barton Fink movie review at Randy Parker

Kevin Patterson

The Coen brothers have made a name for themselves largely through their wacky tales of crime gone wrong, such as Fargo and Raising Arizona. In Barton Fink, however, they craft what is probably their best and most personal work to date by tackling a ...read the complete Barton Fink movie review at Kevin Patterson

AboutFilm.com (Jeff Vorndam)

I don't know if I've ever seen a movie that suggests or hints at so many interpretations. Some people may regard this as weakness, that the Coen Brothers tantalize but ultimately fail to deliver. I see it as a perfect way for everyone to take away his ...read the complete Barton Fink movie review at AboutFilm.com (Jeff Vorndam)

Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)

Wrapped in plain brown paper and no bigger than a typically swelled Hollywood head, the box looks ordinary. It's not, of course. This is a movie from the Coen brothers, and as you may have gleaned from their earlier work ("Blood Simple," "Raising ...read the complete Barton Fink movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)

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 the complete Barton Fink movie review at Washington Post (Rita Kempley)

filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)

That "Barton Fink feeling" is all over the Coen brothers movie, a modern classic that both celebrates and damns the Golden Age of Hollywood. One of the Coens' most play-like movies, John Turturro stars in a career-making role as an angst-ridden supporter ...read the complete Barton Fink movie review at filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)

Looking Closer (Jeffrey Overstreet)

The Coen Brothers, who brought us the zany Raising Arizona and the delightful dark comedy Fargo, won the Palme D'Or at Cannes for this weird and disturbing picture. They deserved it. ...read the complete Barton Fink movie review at Looking Closer (Jeffrey Overstreet)

Variety (Staff (Not Credited))

Scene after scene is filled with a ferocious strength and humor. Michael Lerner's performance as a Mayer-like studio overlord is sensational. ...read the complete Barton Fink movie review at Variety (Staff (Not Credited))

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 the complete Barton Fink movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (Jay Scott)

This hip morality tale is by no means perfect - it's not the masterpiece "Miller's Crossing" was - but it is stylish, intelligent, witty and more than slightly creepy. ...read the complete Barton Fink movie review at The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (Jay Scott)

Movie Reviews UK

A subtle and probing jaunt into the darkness of "writer's block", Barton Fink peers into just what lies below people's perceived character. The elation of overnight success often changes the recipient in surprising ways, although in the case of Barton ...read the complete Barton Fink movie review at Movie Reviews UK

Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)

The main story itself is set in 1941, where Hollywood has been recruiting some of the best playwrights in the country to come work for them. One of these playwrights is Barton Fink, a conflicted artsy intellectual that has been given the chore of ...read the complete Barton Fink movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)

DVD Talk (James W. Powell)

Barton Fink is a film that gets better with each viewing. It has perfect dialog, subtle humor, and more than a touch of emotion-a combination of ingredients one learns to expect from a film by Joel and Ethan Coen. ...read the complete Barton Fink movie review at DVD Talk (James W. Powell)

Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

If there is a favorite image in the movies by the Coen brothers, it's of crass, venal men behind desks, who possess power the heroes envy. Maybe that's because, like all filmmakers, the Coens have spent a lot of time on the carpet, pitching projects to ...read the complete Barton Fink movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

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