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FACTOTUM

What You Need To Know:

FACTOTUM, based on an early novel by the alcoholic, iconoclastic writer, Charles Bukowski, stars Matt Dillon. Dillon plays Bukowski's alcoholic alter-ego, Henry Chinaski. Henry considers himself a writer, but his quests for booze and women sidetrack him. Henry begins a relationship with another alcoholic, Jan, played by Lili Taylor. Their intoxicated relationship totters between love, desire and loathing. Their on-again, off-again romance is accompanied by Henry's lack of interest in any steady work except his writing.

FACTOTUM is a slice-of-life drama, but focuses on lives lived in the gutter. The drunken protagonist lives on the edge. He is a writer who risks everything, but finds poetry in the pleasure and pain that is his chosen life. The movie's performances and humor keep the viewer interested, but the movie also contains plenty of strong foul language, lots of alcohol abuse, some drunken violence, explicit sex, and brief nudity. The movie makes few judgments on the protagonist's immoral lifestyle and character. It does, however, side with the protagonist's Romantic worldview of the writer as an artist whose role is just to express himself, no matter how immoral that expression may be.

Content:

(RoRo, B, PaPa, LLL, VV, SS, NN, AAA, D, MMM) Strong Romantic worldview of creative writing as simply a means of total personal risk and radical self-expression, no matter how immoral that expression may be, protagonist rejects girlfriend's comment that the Bible teaches that people are supposed to love thy neighbor (he just wants his neighbors to leave him alone, and he will leave them alone), and alcoholic protagonist mainly seeks only three things – booze, women (especially sex, though not exclusively) and sitting down to write things to send to publishers; 36 mostly strong obscenities, four strong profanities, one light profanity, and vomiting; some brief strong violence such as alcoholic protagonist hits girlfriend when he finds her cheating in a bar, and protagonist angrily knocks man down who took his usual seat at the racetrack and viciously punches him off screen (victim's body is hidden by the row of seats in front of his seat); strong sexual content includes scenes of depicted fornication, unmarried couple lives together, and man gets a sexually transmitted disease but over-uses the medicine he's given and his girlfriend has to delicately wrap his private parts; brief upper female nudity, upper male nudity and rear male nudity; almost constant alcohol use, including drunkenness, apparent alcoholism and protagonist walks off jobs to go drink in bars; smoking; and, gambling, protagonist is rebellious toward employers and father, protagonist lives a transient and ultimately isolated existence, protagonist has poor work habits, and movie implicitly justifies the protagonist's immoral life by his artistic abilities.

More Detail:

FACTOTUM is based on an early novel by Charles Bukowski, an honorary “beat writer” who wrote about skid row, hangovers, drinking, transients, and women, including prostitutes. His iconoclastic poetry, novels and short stories were informal and humorous perspectives of people living on the streets, mostly the streets of Los Angeles.

In FACTOTUM, Matt Dillon stars as Bukowski’s alcoholic alter ego, Henry Chinaski. Henry considers himself a writer, but his quests for booze and women sidetrack and seduce him. Henry begins a relationship with another alcoholic, Jan, played by Lili Taylor. Their intoxicated relationship totters between love, desire and loathing. Their on-again, off-again romance is accompanied by Henry’s lack of interest in any steady work except his writing.

FACTOTUM is a slice-of-life drama, but focuses on lives lived in the gutter. The drunken protagonist lives on the edge. He is a writer who risks everything, but finds poetry in the pleasure and pain that is his chosen life. The movie’s performances and humor keep the viewer interested, but the movie also contains plenty of strong foul language, lots of alcohol abuse, some drunken violence, explicit sex, and brief nudity. The movie makes few judgments on the protagonist’s immoral lifestyle, but it does side with his Romantic worldview of the writer as an artist whose role is just to express himself, no matter how immoral or radical that expression may be. Apparently, Bukowski also believed that you can’t be a good or an honest writer unless you are willing to take radical personal risks. “Go all the way,” his alter-ego says at the end of the movie. Thus, ultimately, the movie implicitly justifies the protagonist’s immoral lifestyle by his artistic abilities and iconoclastic, Romantic beliefs.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.