| Overall Grade: |
A+ |
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| Story: |
A |
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| Acting: |
A+ |
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| Direction: |
A+ |
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| Visuals: |
A- |
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Great adaption from an even greater novel
by joe (movies profile)
Aug 24, 2007
8
of
10 people found this review helpful
I enjoyed this film, and am glad that quality adaptions from the Buk's novels are finally being made.
This film is no substitute for reading the book (film adaptions from great literature never are), but it is definitely worth seeing and enjoying.
For those who don't know him, Hank Chinaski (Charles Bukowski's literary alter ego) lived harder and more cynically than pretty much anyone you know. He also had more honest, gut wrenching insight into the human condition than anyone you have ever met. As the Buk once penned, "It's possible to love a human being if you don't know them too well."
Those unfamiliar with the book should understand that the events of the novel took place in the 1940's, and featured more geographic roaming than the film depicted. I'll forgive the film makers for changing these details, as I am glad movies like this are still being made at all - it certainly isn't looking at enough box office draw to justify some major studio paying for sets recreating the US WWII era cityscapes.
No Bukowski fan should miss this - and if you are not yet a Bukowski fan, pick up a hard copy of Post Office or Factotum or The Most Beautiful Woman in Town - you just might understand, if you read what the man had to say.
Matt Dillon did a good job of capturing the Buk's speech patterns and attitude, and the female love interests were well played by Marisa Tomei and Lili Taylor.
Are there any plans for a film adaption of Post Office in the works? I hope so, and will probably see Factotum again before it leaves the one local theater I could find it in.... |
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