Barfly (1987): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot
Barfly is a 1987 comedy drama directed by Barbet Schroeder, starring Mickey Rourke, Faye Dunaway and Alice Krige. It runs 1 hour 40 minutes and earned $3.2 million worldwide. It earned 3 award nominations, including Best Cinematography at the Spirit Awards 1988. Critics gave it 76% on Rotten Tomatoes and 70 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 7.1/10.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 40m (100 min)
- Director
- Barbet Schroeder
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Cannon Group, The
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Barfly About?
The premise of Barfly without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
In the shadowy bars of Los Angeles, Henry Chinaski, a writer with a taste for alcohol, navigates a world of hard living and fleeting connections. His solitary existence is complicated when he encounters Wanda, a captivating and equally troubled woman. Their intense relationship becomes a whirlwind of passion and conflict, challenging Henry’s established routines and forcing him to confront his own vulnerabilities in a raw and honest exploration of love and loneliness.
Barfly Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- writer
- alcoholism
- bar
- drinking
- brunette
- blonde
- blonde defeats brunette
- fellatio
- alcoholic
- woman wears a robe
- woman in a bathtub
- woman in a bed
+38 more Show fewer
- flatulence
- man wears eyeglasses
- sleeping on a couch
- blonde woman
- implied sex
- fistfight
- ear of corn
- cornfield
- running from the police
- reference to leon spinks
- woman hits a man with her purse
- emt
- asking for a light
- kicking in a door
- domestic abuse
- awakening
- photography
- literary inspiration
- writer cameo appearance
- lying on a bed
- artistic creation as subject
- downtown los angeles
- literary agent
- drunken man
- death wish
- whiskey
- visit
- money
- paramedic
- radio
- poet
- bartender
- fight
- skid row
- angel
- ambulance
- title at the end
- fade to black
Barfly Cast
Mickey Rourke leads the cast, with Faye Dunaway and Alice Krige. Directed by Barbet Schroeder; 10 actors are credited in all.
-
Director Barbet Schroeder
Also Starring in Barfly
· 6 moreBarfly Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave Barfly 76% on Rotten Tomatoes and 70 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 7.1/10.
-
IMDb 7.1 /10
See on IMDb -
Rotten Tomatoes 76% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 82%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 70 Metascore
User score 6.8
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 68% User score
See on TMDB
Barfly Plot Summary
What happens in Barfly from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Destitute alcoholic Henry Chinaski lives in a rundown Los Angeles apartment and scrapes by with menial jobs, all while pursuing his art—poems and short stories that fetch only small sums from magazines and papers. His days are a tangled blend of rough living and fragile writing, a cycle that keeps looping through late nights and cheap sustenance as he searches for something that feels both authentic and worthwhile.
Full summary
The whole story of Barfly, scene by scene
Barfly Box Office
Barfly grossed $3.2 million worldwide.
Worldwide gross
$3.2M
- US & Canada
- $3.2M
Barfly Awards & Nominations
Barfly earned 3 award nominations, including Best Cinematography at the Spirit Awards 1988. The 3 nominations come from 2 ceremonies, the most at the Spirit Awards 1988.
3 nominations2 ceremonies
-
Spirit Awards 1988 2 nominations- Nominated Best Cinematography
- Nominated Best Male Lead – Mickey Rourke
-
Golden Globes 1988 1 nomination- Nominated Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Drama (Actress) – Faye Dunaway
Barfly Trailers & Videos
2 videos: 2 trailers.
- Trailer Barfly ≣ 1987 ≣ Trailer
Cars in Barfly
41 cars on screen, including the 1986 Mercedes-Benz SL R107 and the 1978 Chevrolet Chevy Van.
-
1986 Mercedes-Benz SL R107 Important role -
1978 Chevrolet Chevy Van Minor role -
1983 Chevrolet Malibu Minor role -
1979 Chrysler LeBaron Minor role
Barfly Also Known As
16 alternative titles, including “Barfly - Amor Marginal” and “El borracho”.
- Also known as
-
- Barfly - Amor Marginal
- El borracho
- Barfly - Moscone da bar
- Bar Kelebeği
- Пьянь
- Törzsvendég
- עכבר הבארים
- Ćma barowa
- Μπάρφλαϊ
- Муха на бара
- Štamgast
- 酒心情缘
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- 술고래
- Barfly - Condenados Pelo Vício
- バーフライ
- П'янь
Seen Barfly?
Movies Like Barfly
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Drinking Buddies, Bar Girls and Coyote Ugly.
Barfly FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Awards
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, awards and post-credit scenes of Barfly, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Barfly?
Barfly runs 1 hour 40 minutes (100 minutes).
When was Barfly released?
Barfly was released on October 16, 1987.
Who directed Barfly?
Barfly was directed by Barbet Schroeder.
More films by Barbet Schroeder Who is in the cast of Barfly?
Barfly stars Mickey Rourke, Faye Dunaway and Alice Krige, among 10 credited actors.
How much did Barfly make at the box office?
Barfly grossed $3.2 million worldwide.
How is Barfly rated?
Barfly has 7.1/10 on IMDb, 76% on Rotten Tomatoes, 70 on Metacritic and 68% on TMDB.
Was Barfly nominated for any awards?
Barfly received 3 nominations across 2 ceremonies.
Does Barfly have a post-credit scene?
No. Barfly has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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