| Factotum | 
 enlarge | Director: Bent Hamer
Actors: Matt Dillon, Lili Taylor, Marisa Tomei, Fisher Stevens, Didier Flamand
Studio: Ifc
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $2.24
You Save: $12.71 (85%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  47 reviews
Sales Rank: 15431
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 94
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: GEPD79735D
UPC: 796019797351
EAN: 0796019797351
ASIN: B000ICL3NI
Theatrical Release Date: 2005
Release Date: December 26, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Authentic, U.S. Retail Released DVD Product. Quick International & APO/FPO AIRMAIL!
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Product Description
Henry chinaski considers himself a writer & on occassion writes. Mostly he quests for booze & women that sidetrack rather than inspire greatness. When he falls for jan the soulful connection fails to save either from their self-destructive ways & the relationship totters between connection & reflective loathing. Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 05/08/2007 Starring: Matt Dillon Lili Taylor Run time: 94 minutes Rating: R Director: Bent Hamer
Amazon.com
Matt Dillon lumbers through Factotum like a side of beef just starting to rot, lifting his chin in quiet, semi-comic reflections on the domestic squalor of a booze-ridden life. His slow, thick performance--as if he had something more viscous than blood running through his veins--has a weary gravitas that veers from wry resignation to bursts of violence that he regrets even as he's committing them. As Henry Chinaski (an alter ego of author Charles Bukowski), Dillon idly skips from job to job, seeking one that will allow him to continue his two pursuits: Writing and drinking. He gets enmeshed with one woman (Lili Taylor, I Shot Andy Warhol) and dallies with another (Marisa Tomei, In the Bedroom), but his only true love is the bottle. Despite this bleak storyline, Factotum proceeds with an almost lighthearted pace, each spare scene delivered with a dry, almost wistful tone of regret and flashes of gallows humor. Director Bent Hamer (Kitchen Stories) is from Norway and has a similar aesthetic to Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismaki (The Man Without a Past); sly slices-of-life that deliver bad news with a gentle, forgiving touch. --Bret Fetzer
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| Customer Reviews: Read 42 more reviews...
 Factotum - True To The Spirit of Bukowski If Not The Letter - Deserves A Second Look November 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Factotum is a very good movie. To my mind, this movie has been misunderstood and somewhat underrated. Much of the criticism of this movie is valid based upon the letter of Bukowski's work. But when you really think about the spirit of his work, this movie succeeds in translating that to a present-day story that more people can relate to. This film best serves those less familiar with his writing. Hopefully Bukuowski fans can give this movie a second chance and grow to appreciate it from that vantage point.
There can be no more fitting tribute to the anti-hero persona of Bukowski than Chinaski, his alter-ego smoothly under-played by Matt Dillon. Once again, Dillon hardly matches the profile of the gruff and unattractive Chinaski from the original writings. But he rises to the occasion and embodies the character in ways that looks alone cannot describe.
The down-in-the gutter depravity that Bukowski constantly seeks to illuminate with his work is the center piece of this movie. The realism of this movie is so tragic it's comical. Wandering from lost job to failed relationship, Chinaski is often in a drunken stupor of disillusionment and self-loathing. When he does find a woman worth keeping, he can only continuously lose her. This is real life in a world where a man simply doesn't think it's worth it to care.
While Mr. Chinaski is offered many opportunities to work below his station as a statue cleaner, factory worker or janitor, he is rarely given the chance to do work that lets him use his passion to write. Sadly, even when one of his stories is chosen, his mail is taken, read, and discarded before he even learns of it. So even his little victories are swept away from him.
In making this movie, they made creative decisions that deviated from the original story. The story takes place in the present day and not in the period in which Bukowski lived and worked. Yet they did that to adapt the spirit of Bukowski to a movie for today's audience. The mixed reaction to this movie is akin to the reaction his work and life. So it comes as no surprise to me.
What does surprise me is to hear many fans of Bukowski's work state that this movie does not measure up to the message of his writing. In my mind, the spirit of his work should not be overpowered by the literal recounting of it.
If you have a dark sense of humor and a love of poetry, this story is painfully funny and all-together real. One can't help but be reminded of that famous Alan Ginsberg poem that starts, "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical."
Granted, this movie's negative message is somewhat of a downer if taken literally. So it is not for everyone. Yet if you can suspend judgment, this is a very interesting movie. The material is succinct yet well done, and the acting is minimalist yet once again well done. The one point I would make in criticism is that the first half of this movie isn't nearly as good as the second half. If you watch the second half alone a few times, it's easier to appreciate what they were shooting for in the beginning.
Regardless, I really enjoyed this movie. I've watched it many times and it still rings true to me, despite the artistic liberties they took. This is not for the typical movie night. But if you want to watch something dark, subtle and creative, this is it.
Enjoy.
I enjoyed it, but your mileage may vary November 1, 2008
As a fan of Bukowski, and a Minneapolis/St. Paul resident (where the movie was filmed), I enjoyed this movie on a few levels. Dillon was great as the typical Bukowski semi-autobiographical character, and the writing and dialog were classic Bukowski. This is probably not a movie for the casual movie watcher that doesn't know Bukowski's work, or appreciate it. But for those of you who do, you should find this as enjoyable as I did.
Excellent film, great acting, very good direction October 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Now right of the bat, I must mention that a lot of reviewers are unhappy because the original character was quite different and his intrigue was somewhat compromised in this film. I am one of those lucky people who knew nothing about the book, saw the film for what it was without knowing anything about the book, the character and sundry. I think it is a very good film in itself.
There are few wasteful films of the sort that deserve a second opinion but Factotum truly stood it's ground and without being boisterous, gave a very good account of Hank Chinaski. I only saw it recently and I must say Dillon is a very good actor. I've seen numerous threads since complaining about who else could have done more justice to the character and that really downs me.
Anyhow, there is a few love-making scenes and hedonism is kept alive. I also found it very slyly humoros how a failed writer, a failed professional with little discipline in his life advocates and professes beleifs and quotes. You'll know once you watch this film.
If you like this film, you might like, "Sideways" , "Love Liza" , "American Splendor" and "Hollywoodland" - Also vice versa.
Kudos to Matt Dillon. This, in my unwanted opinion, is his best performance till date.
 Waste of time June 17, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Since the greatest crime one could commit (according to Bukowski) was to waste his freaking time, this film is something of a curse.
It's pretty lousy film making. If you're going to make a book out of something like FACTOTUM, you should at least be able to create something far more effective than this. While Dillon was really, really good in his portrayal of Bukowski, the rest of the movie is something of a train wreck. You never know where you're standing if you're unfamiliar with Buk's writing, and one feels completely let down if you are an admirer of the vast spread of Charles Bukowski's stories, novels, essay, and poems.
Don't waste your time. There are plenty of better things to read and view.
Pretty good but a little dissapointed May 28, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
First off, I love Bukowski and have been reading his poetry, short stories and novels for 25 years and was very interested to see Factotum.
Matt Dillon plays the part of Henry Chinaski pretty well, but theres is something missing from Bukowski's alter ego on the screen. Dillon is just not quite gritty enough and seems to be just a little too vacant in my opinion. I don't want to give the impression that his performance is bad because it isn't and is probably one of his better performances, although I disagree slighly with how the part was played.
I do recommend watching this if you are a Bukowski fan and the price is right for the DVD.
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