Barfly

Charles Bukowski, the talented crown prince of self-abuse, wrote the short stories upon which the surprisingly entertaining Barfly was based. The film concentrates on alcoholic writer Mickey Rourke (the Bukowski alter ego) who carries on a hate-hate relationship with bartender Frank Stallone. Rourke ...more

Barbet Schroeder's romanticized portrait of self-mythologizing writer and drunk Charles Bukowski skillfully draws one into the world of these damaged characters. What little story there is concerns the writer's (Mickey Rourke) daily ritual of massive alcohol intake, fighting, and writing. With the appearance of Faye Dunaway a fellow lush, the possibility of romance glimmers on the horizon. A labor of love for Schroeder, who cajoled Bukowski for years to finish the script, it captures the ...more