Henry Chinaski is a writer, and sometimes he actually writes. More often he moves from place to place and job to job, making money as he needs it. He meets Jan, whose self-destructive tendencies are as bad as his own. __________________________________________________________________________
Factotum (2006) - Rated R - 94 minutes
Starring: Matt Dillon, Marisa Tomei, Lili Taylor, Didier Flamand, Karen Young
Directed by: Bent Hamer Screenplay by: Jim Stark, Bent Hamer
Genre: Drama, Biopic
__________________________________________________________________________
Factotum (1975) - 205 pages
Author: Charles Bukowski
Genre: Fiction
____________________________________________________________________________
Factotum is best described as a character-driven story about an alcoholic writer. Most movie reviews I found were fairly positive. It was described as a "must see" for Charles Bukowski fans more than once. Bukowski is a well-known contemporary writer. Much of his work has gained in popularity since his death in 1994.
Some aren't sold on Matt Dillon playing the "gritty" character of Henry, which is particularly important for a character-driven film. However, most of the reviews find he and his co-stars, Lily Taylor and Marisa Tomei, very convincing in their roles.
I'm interested in seeing the film because of the clip I saw on a late night talk show. Dillon's character, Henry, was interviewing to work in a pickle factory. It was really funny in a dry sort of way. Dillon is so good in comedies too. I'm looking forward to seeing him in this different sort of comedy.
This is a case where I will most likely watch the movie first. I'm just not sure I want to read a whole book about an alcoholic writer wandering from job to job. An hour and a half watching it I think I can handle, but not the time it would take to read the whole book. If I like the movie though, I'm sure I'll be much more motivated to read the book.
Comments