Factotum

I must say that at first, I did not like the idea of a handsome star like Matt Dillon playing Bukowski, but he turned out to be an actor who can act convincingly, and with conviction. Having seen documentary material about Bukowski, I must say I really enjoyed Dillon's delivery here. I keep going back to this film time and time again. It really let's Bukowski's words shine, and augments their enjoyment, I believe. Take the scene with Jen's car, that has problems with suspension and heallights rolling down the LA landscape. When I read Bukowski's writing as a teenager, I did not really imagine it lived in LA streets, so I think it is fantastic to have the visuals, although yes, it could have been done in grittier ways, it is still very much a beautified version of reality, but to even see an approximation of those lines as they were lived, how wonderful. If anything, the film gets the attitude right. That alone means so much.

This movie is nothing more than a poorly strung series of one liners and social observations set in a backdrop of alcoholism and abject poverty. I highly recommend if you run out of ambien or other sleep aid ---

Eh, I'm really disappointed in this movie. Don't waste your time, it was extremely dull. His book is much better and the events in the movies don't flow too well. Barfly was more interesting and resembled bukowski much better.

Given the choice, you should choose Barfly. Matt Dillon did an alright job in this movie however Mickey Rourke clearly out shown him in the role of Henry Chinaski. Mr. Rourke really researched the role and strove to be Bukowski (or the fictionalized version of Henry Chinaski). Granted, Mr. Rourke had the advantage of being able to talk to the now departed writer as part of his research. It was a nice attempt and okay on it's own. It made me want to watch Barfly again, which I did. If you compare it to Barfly it fades very quickly.

This was really hard to watch. They totally butchered the book. Save your money, and go buy the book instead.

Read the book. It is a quick read and more satisfying. The movie just doesn't cut it, but to credit of the director and cast this book was not meant to be a good movie. Bukowski's writing is crafted in a manner that cannot be acted as other novel-first films can be. Nice soundtrack though...

WHY the HELL cant i rent this movie!

So many people said after the Academy Awards that Matt Dillon should have won an Oscar as best supporting actor for his performance in “Crash.” Perhaps so, but he deserved an Oscar even more as best actor for “Factotum,” without a doubt. It is an offbeat movie that is not for the kids, but the camera captures the best acting that Dillon has ever done. Even with a beard and somewhat of a paunch, he radiates star power more so than in his other films. The reviews were terrific, by and large; and it should have opened nationwide, not just in art house theaters. This is a "sleeper" gem of a film. Along with an Oscar nod for Dillon might have come one for Lili Taylor because she is terrific too. Clearly, "Factotum" is an Indie film that came out of nowhere, ground zero in fact, and might have been marked for "stardom” if IFC puts some “muscle” behind the film in terms of marketing and promoting it. Its success might have propelled lots of independent filmmakers to "believe" that they too might "reach for the stars” and actually catch the brass ring. Dillon is a real talent, and so is Taylor. Marisa Tomei has a small but meaty part, and she handles it with aplomb as she always does. For those of us who fell in love with her years ago, when she won an Oscar as best supporting actress in “My Cousin Vinny,” she shines in this movie too. Even though Dillon’s character, “Henry Chinaski,” is an alcoholic and a womanizer who seems to fail miserably at all of his jobs, the one thread that keeps him alive and moving forward is his writing, which is ultimately his redemption—as it was for writer Charles Bukowski, on whose book the film was based. The only minor criticism of the movie might be that it needs some music in various scenes, and the end credits need to be redone to achieve greater clarity because they are impossible to read in a theater.

Its odd that Matt Dillon caught the sense of Bukowski, his mannerisms etc kinda un canny and his soft spoken demeanor. If your a Bukowski fan but never was able to see enough of him and enjoyed his charm. Check this out. People live like this but none seemed to take it in stride and accepted it like Buk.

If you liked this movie, check out the the 6-minute behind-the-scenes featurette we recently added to the IFC Entertainment podcast. It includes red carpet and on-set interviews with Matt Dillon, Lili Taylor, Marisa Tomei, producer Jim Stark and director Bent Hamer. Search for 'IFC Entertainment' in the iTunes Store and subscribe to watch it for free!