Factotum

Went to see Factotum last night with Lou. It's based on the Charles Bukowski novel of the same name and stars Matt Dillon as Henry Chinaski, Bukowski's drunken, gambling, womanising alter-ego. From what I can gather from other reviews of those who have read his novels, Dillon pulls off Chinaski down to a tee, including his body movement and mannerisms. He does make it look like life itself is a chore with writing being his only relief. However, watching this film is like watching a drunk unkle at a party. Entertaining for a while, but not for an entire evening. Whilst the humour involved in his antics and down and out ways is enthusing at first, it soon becomes expected and I guess that is the point of the film. I have read Post-Office and thought it entertaining but at least that had a theme to it. Rather Factotum is a film encapsulating Chinaski's life in general, in a nut shell, as a drifter to the tenets of women, booze and gambling. As a fan of Bukowski, I can see how this film showing the generalities of Chinaski would be considered the definitive filmatic version of his most generalised novel. However, as a first time introduction, the films slow pace becomes a weight around the neck and I left the cinema feeling like it had just done enough to warrant the money spent on it. Perhaps I should go and read some more Bukowski. Not a bad thing.

I would give this film 3 part time jobs out of 5