My Favorite Coen Brothers Movie Is Probably Their Most Overlooked, And It’s The Only One That Has Won The Palme d’Or!

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The Coen Brothers have made many excellent films, but I believe their masterpiece is 1991’s Barton Fink.

I get that Barton Fink isn’t everyone’s first choice when it comes to the Coen Brothers’ films. Most people lean towards No Country for Old Men or The Big Lebowski, but it’s always been my personal favorite.

It’s surprising this film isn’t talked about more. While it’s not exactly underrated – it did win the Palme d’Or – it doesn’t get the appreciation it deserves, and I want to explain why it should.

It Truly Is A Nightmarish Experience Watching This Film…In A Good Way

The movie Barton Fink is often considered one of the Coen Brothers’ most puzzling and unusual films. It follows a New York playwright (John Turturro) who moves to Hollywood to write screenplays. He’s assigned a story about professional wrestling, a subject he knows absolutely nothing about.

This often resulted in severe writer’s block, something I’ll discuss later. Otherwise, he’d likely spend the entire day alone in his room, except for the sounds coming from next door. Those sounds came from John Goodman, who was portraying Charlie Meadows—an insurance salesman, at least according to him.

From that point on, things quickly get much worse, becoming truly frightening – some have even compared it to Dante’s Inferno. While often called a dark comedy, the film is so intense that many see it as a horror movie, similar to how Mulholland Drive is sometimes categorized.

The movie takes a surprising turn when Goodman’s character is revealed as a serial killer, and Turturro’s character inadvertently helps cover up the crimes – a darkly comedic twist that contributes to the film’s thriller elements. Throughout the story, there’s tension surrounding whether Fink will finish his screenplay on time, but when he does, it’s deemed too pretentious (the film uses the outdated term “fruity” to describe it). This film stands out as truly unique within the Coen Brothers’ body of work, and that’s a very good thing.

John Goodman Has Never Been More Terrifying Or Unhinged

John Goodman is a fantastic actor, and I think his movie Barton Fink is seriously underrated.

He initially presents himself as Charlie Meadows and apologizes for the disturbance next door, appearing friendly enough. However, things take a dark turn when he sleeps with a woman who is later found murdered. Instead of calling the police, he surprisingly contacts Meadows, who then gets rid of the body and explicitly instructs him not to involve the authorities.

The police eventually reveal that Meadows is actually a serial killer named Karl “Madman” Mundt. He was the one who killed the woman, meaning Fink could go to jail for failing to report it. However, things take a wild turn when Goodman delivers a truly unforgettable performance, passionately trying to explain the importance of intellectual thought to police officers as a hallway erupts in flames.

It’s a bonkers performance, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

It’s A Film About Writer’s Block, Which Speaks To Me

If you’re curious about my all-time favorite movies, here they are! First, I’d pick Apocalypse Now – it’s a classic war film. Second is Big Trouble in Little China, a movie I’ve watched over and over again. And finally, I think Adaptation is the best work by Charlie Kaufman.

Of the three films we were talking about, Adaptation really hits home for me. As someone who loves to write, I totally get the struggle with writer’s block – I’ve been there so many times! That feeling of sitting and staring at a blank page, desperately trying to get words down, but just… nothing. It’s incredibly frustrating, and Barton Fink perfectly captures that feeling. Honestly, I can picture myself in that movie – starting a sentence, deleting it, trying again, and eventually just throwing in the towel for the day. It’s a truly relatable experience.

This movie is incredibly disheartening, and I think it portrays that feeling of hopelessness better than anything else I’ve seen. While I really enjoy Adaptation, especially the two Nicolas Cage roles, Fink truly captures the feeling of being stuck and completely exhausted by it.

It’s a strange feeling when you have thoughts but struggle to put them into words, and this story captures that feeling perfectly – perhaps even a little intensely.

They Also Really Nailed The Time Period

I forgot to mention that the Coen Brothers had a phase in the early 90s where they were really interested in making films set in the past. Interestingly, they started working on the movie Fink, set in 1941, because they were having trouble writing Miller’s Crossing, which is set even earlier, in 1929.

It’s interesting to consider that the Coen Brothers followed up one success by creating what many, including myself, see as their best film. It just goes to show you how creative processes can be unpredictable. Despite being set largely in a rundown Los Angeles hotel, the movie Fargo really captures the feeling of 1940s Hollywood’s less glamorous side.

The show feels genuinely rooted in its time period, and several elements contribute to that feeling. It could be the costumes, or the sound of the typewriter, instantly transporting you back to the era. The historical allusions are also effective – John Mahoney’s character, W.P. “Bill” Mayhew, clearly echoes William Faulkner. Even the casually prejudiced remarks made by some characters add to the authenticity, though in a disturbing way.

It really captures the feeling of that era, and that consistent atmosphere lasts throughout. And that reminds me…

And I Will Always Love That Ending

Throughout the movie, Barton constantly looks at a photograph of a woman on the beach. This picture serves as a daydream, a way for him to escape the small, unpleasant hotel room and the difficult script he’s trying to write – he’d rather be anywhere but there.

At the film’s conclusion, after everything that happens and his screenplay is turned in (though it will be rejected), the main character goes to the beach. There, he unexpectedly meets the woman from the photograph he’d been looking at throughout the movie. He asks her if she’s ever modeled, and she replies that she hasn’t. The film ends there.

I absolutely loved the ending! It’s as satisfying as the thoughtful conclusion of No Country for Old Men. It’s just so strange and unexpectedly funny. It makes you wonder about Barton’s sanity by the film’s end, and that’s a big part of why it resonates with me so much – it’s more than just a clever joke.

Have you ever watched Barton Fink? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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2025-11-24 15:10