Who would want to be such an asshole?

I know I'm not alone in the fact that Charles Bukowski is one of the few writers I consider a hero: it's probably the fact that I'm male, white, and go through long bouts of self-doubt, hatred of other people, and I'm pretty unromantic about everything. Two well-done films have actually come out of Bukowski work, which follows his fictional doppleganger named Henry Chinaski.

Barfly (1987)


Bukowski penned the screenplay of this cult classic, in which Mickey Rourke perfectly channels the Bukowski persona: a dark, brooding, shallow drunk who's completely void of the self-conscious, civilized manner that makes people "nice." The thing I love about this film is that it perfectly captures the details of drinking to no end. My favorite scene is when Chinaski grabs the sandwich from some overweight guy in a suit, for the reason that he needs the nutrients to win a fight against some butch bartender.

Barfly by night, classical music-listening writer by day - this is Rourke's finest moment. Another reason to check out the film is for a sighting of the fine actor and David Lynch favorite Jack Nance.

Now onto my next favorite,
Factotum (2005)


This one I actually got to see in the theaters, and enjoyed greatly. I remember my girlfriend saying that it was too bleak, but I didn't really agree. Yes, Bukowski is a dark road, but at the same time, there's no pretensions or face-fronting: he's showing how the other half-lives.

Matt Dillion is great, and actually looks more like Bukowski than I would have expected. He's got good looks, but at the same time his sexuality is a throw back to the beat generation. Overall, I prefer Barfly to this for a number of reasons. Barfly was a conglomeration of the Chinaski charachter from all the books; Factotum is an actual adaptation of a single Bukowski books. It's faithful, but the style that director Bent Hamer uses reflects a Jim Jarmusch aesthetic: let the camera roll, no flashy stuff. This seems like a perfect match, but it's too dry and lacks the quirky humor. Parts of the novel are toned down, like when Chinaski supposedly kills a man at the horse races; the book being told in first person by Chinaski, we see more of his guilt. Here, Dillion plays it cool.

The best scene from the film is when Chinaski wakes up and vomits, then decides it's time to move on. A great long take; someone else apparently agrees and has it up at youtube:



When ever I feel like shit, or an underachiever, or like the world doesn't give a damn whether I live or die, or like I'm a lazy no good unprofessional bum, I pick up some Bukowski and at least find the comfort that someone else took the breaks and the blues just as hard.

For those wanting to hear the man recite his poetry, check out this cd:


Bukowksi Reads His Poetry to an audience on September 14, 1972 in San Francisco. AllMusic.com doesn't rate this one highly, but during the summer I spent many a night on the back lawn drinking a beer listening to Bukowski rant and get heckled by a fiesty crowd. Get it here.