Weredegu

I agree with all those who say this movie is just like 'Adaptation' (or the other way around, rather). In fact, 'Adaptation' seems so much to be an adaptation of this one, that there hardly seems to me now, in retrospect, to be a point to it - other than that I enjoyed 'Adaptation' immensely at the time when I saw it, not knowing of 'Barton Fink'. But, to be honest, 'Barton Fink' wasn't less enjoyable only because its concept turned out to be familiar to me (I couldn't have known that beforehand). It lacks dynamism a bit too much throughout its first two thirds, exactly to serve its purpose better in making the contrast with the last third clearer. But that's to the detriment of the experience. I'm as much a fan of the Coen as of the Kaufman brothers; this is their only piece I didn't get to like so much. However, I understand their purpose. They were simultaneously attacking the myth of the common man (cultivated by the main character in the plot), and the world of stupid, incoherent, illogical, sensationalist and actually-not-even-so-spectacular Hollywood blockbusters. Such a clear purpose, however, predictably turned all their characters into plot devices. And the message is a bit self-righteous I think. They essentially sent the message here that they are special, exempt from rules binding for the mainstream as well as from the rules of indie film-making. The only reason one can forgive them for that is that they are indeed special. I'm glad this is their only film where they focused on that fact itself. And you know what, even so this is not a bad film.

I love this movie, even though it's not typical from David Lynch , save for some moments here and there (take the grocery scene with Alvin Straight's daughter and the clerk for an example), and even though perhaps I would never have watched it, had the director been someone else. Along with Lynch, composer Angelo Badalamenti also makes the transition to produce a film score that's rather unusual based on the career record. And it's not only the irregularity by way of which their - Lynch's and Badalamenti's - performances match. They both weave brilliance out of the most linear/straight simplicity.

The film does sometimes go very directly for the tear-drop effect, but does so so openly as an old man finding unexpected audience, in you or any other stranger, would, in telling his story. You can't help but accept that as fair and be understanding to the whole venture. Richard Farnsworth shows us an especially likable character. He's witty, he does surprise you sometimes how much. At one point or another you'd think now he's surely in a dead end, but then he already seems to know the way on. No spoiler in telling you he uses a lawn mover to start with... A film full of respect after which you'll look at the star-filled sky and think, instead of the loneliness of standing on a planet speeding through empty space, making no sense, of how just a little care for each other can make this a great place.

This film is essentially the opposite of 'Lost Highway'.

I watched this movie the first time and I found it intriguing but kind of hard to stay with. When I saw it the second time two years later I laughed myself sick. The third time around, one more year gone by, I could hardly wait to see it again. To know this film was a masterpiece was not difficult, already the first time. To feel it, though, required the second time. It just physically works that way. The camera takes in so much with each shot, you can't keep up with it. And it's not simply that there are too many details in each and every composition. More than that, it's the difficulty of taking them all in digestion-wise. All the small pieces of information you may gather from watching add to an extremely dark view of the world. 'Mister Andersson' planned it all very carefully. It's like he was really-really fed up with everything in the matrix, you know, and decided to let his anger go by preparing for years for every single destructive shot included in the 'movie' (movie is not a really appropriate word, since it's rather static in fact), so that he could reveal the most about the ugliness he saw around himself. He invites you to a corner at some party you may not have enjoyed anyway, to a corner from which you can see all those present at the same time, and then he shows you how all those people around kill, maim and torture each other. And, to get you even more desperate, he also points out the strings attached to them: they are all puppets on strings, you see, they are doing what they are doing because their characters and their whole lives are structured in a given way stemming from reasons beyond anyone individually. Then he finally gives you some consolation by somehow putting what you see into an angle from which you can't help but laugh, not really cruelly, because it's about your own fate, too. It's just the emergency exit for the mind, for which the safest way out is delving into something totally different after watching this twisted reality show.