A GLIMPSE OF MINOR-KEY HEROISM.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic `Factotum'' comes from droll droll adj. droll·er, droll·est Amusingly odd or whimsically comical. n. Archaic A buffoon. [French drôle, buffoon, droll, from Old French drolle deadbeat dead·beat 1 Slang n. 1. One who does not pay one's debts. 2. A lazy person; a loafer. adj. Not fulfilling one's obligations or paying one's debts: a deadbeat dad. writer Charles Bukowski's novel of the same name as well as a handful of his other books. The title card tells us that ``factotum'' refers to ``a person who performs many jobs,'' and, indeed, Henry Chinaski (Matt Dillon), the Bukowski alter ego A doctrine used by the courts to ignore the corporate status of a group of stockholders, officers, and directors of a corporation in reference to their limited liability so that they may be held personally liable for their actions when they have acted fraudulently or unjustly or when here, begins the movie driving an ice delivery truck and spends a day or two working in a pickle factory, a bicycle supply warehouse, an auto parts store and as a janitor in a newspaper office. Chinaski applies for a cab driver cab·driv·er also cab driver n. One who drives a taxicab for hire. cab driver n → taxista m/f cab driver n → job but is turned down. Something about the 18 drunk-and-disorderly arrests on his record, including two for drunk driving, gave his prospective employer pause. ``Factotum fac·to·tum n. An employee or assistant who serves in a wide range of capacities. [Medieval Latin fact ,'' adapted and directed by Norwegian filmmaker Bent Hamer (``Kitchen Stories'') remains faithful to the source material, a plus if you appreciate Bukowski's deadpan, down-and-out writing. Those not attuned at·tune tr.v. at·tuned, at·tun·ing, at·tunes 1. To bring into a harmonious or responsive relationship: an industry that is not attuned to market demands. 2. to the repetitive rhythms of Bukowski's life - get job, drink self into stupor stupor /stu·por/ (stoo´per) [L.] 1. a lowered level of consciousness. 2. in psychiatry, a disorder marked by reduced responsiveness.stu´porous stu·por n. , lose job, drink some more, write, shack up with like-minded boozer (Lili Taylor and Marisa Tomei play kindred souls), drink until money runs out, get another job - might find ``Factotum'' a pointless exercise in self-destruction. They'd be wrong, of course, even if it is sometimes difficult to glimpse the minor-key heroism of Bukowski's desire for self-expression amid some of the more hateful aspects of his life. Hamer nicely avoids making the Chinaski character into a tragic figure or an object of pity. He's just a guy, living life the only way he knows how. ``Some people never go crazy,'' Chinaski says. ``What truly horrible lives they must live.'' While this world view might not work for everyone, it is the only way Chinaski can cope with questions like: ``Why do you want to work in a pickle factory?'' That kind of absurdity fills ``Factotum,'' which also contains moments of random kindness and beauty. It's a modest movie, unsentimental in its depiction of a man whistling past the graveyard, content as long as he's creating. Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672. glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com FACTOTUM - Three stars (R: language, sexual content) Starring: Matt Dillon, Lili Taylor, Marisa Tomei. Director: Bent Hamer. Running time: 1 hr. 34 min. Playing: Laemmle's Playhouse 7 in Pasadena; Laemmle's Sunset 5 in West Hollywood; Landmark's NuWilshire in Santa Monica. In a nutshell: Modest movie nails the Bukowski ethos for those who like that sort of thing. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Marisa Tomei and Matt Dillon share a couple of drinks and some offhand off·hand adv. Without preparation or forethought; extemporaneously. adj. also off·hand·ed Performed or expressed without preparation or forethought. See Synonyms at extemporaneous. stories in ``Factotum.'' |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion