The toast of Broadway after the success of his first play, Barton Fink (John Turturro), the self-proclaimed voice of the average working stiff, heads off to Los Angeles, enticed by a $1,000-a-week contract with a Hollywood studio. Before long, though, loneliness and self-doubt take a hold of him, as he struggles to get to grips with the writing of a Wallace Beery wrestling picture. Never the less, small comfort comes from the friendships that he forms with his larger-than-life neighbour (John Goodman) and a famous author’s (John Mahoney) personal secretary (Judy Davis). However, as the days pass, his time in Tinseltown becomes ever more nightmarish, in the Coens’ beautifully paced, exquisitely photographed, and distinctively scored allegorical masterpiece, which features an excellent central performance, great support, and a number of scene-stealing cameos.
