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MOVIES / ON DVD / BARTLEBY
Bartleby

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Bartleby (2002)

36%
20%
0%
N/A
N/A
N/A
36 %
Reviews Counted: 53 Fresh: 19  Rotten:34 Average Rating: 5.1/10
 
Consensus: Bartleby is a rather dull affair, stretched over a too-long running time.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 83 mins

Synopsis: Former musician Jonathan Parker makes his feature film directorial debut with a modern retelling of the Herman Melville classic, BARTLEBY THE SCRIVENER. The off-kilter comedy follows the boss of a public records company (played by David Paymer), whose life slowly begins to unravel when he... Former musician Jonathan Parker makes his feature film directorial debut with a modern retelling of the Herman Melville classic, BARTLEBY THE SCRIVENER. The off-kilter comedy follows the boss of a public records company (played by David Paymer), whose life slowly begins to unravel when he hires a new employee. The quiet and reserved clerk, Bartleby (Crispin Glover), is at first a welcome addition to the office, especially when compared to the distracting presences of sultry secretary Vivian (Glenne Headly), macho Rocky (Joe Piscopo), and whiny Ernie (Maury Chaykin). But when the boss's requests for Bartleby to perform any tasks other than filing, his enigmatic replies of, "I would prefer not to," begin to test everyone's patience. The situation becomes more troubling when the boss learns that Bartleby has, in fact, begun to sleep in the office. Fed up with his inability to perform the simplest of tasks, he fires Bartleby, who remains in the office nonetheless. Finally, the boss moves locations in order to break free from the mysterious void of a man, who has formed a strange attachment to the building. This doesn't provide a refuge from Bartleby's presence, however, which continues to haunt him at every waking moment. A colorful and quirky tale, BARTLEBY features another bizarre performance from the always-eccentric Glover. [More]

Genre: Comedies

Starring: Crispin Glover, David Paymer, Glenne Headly, Joe Piscopo, Maury Chaykin

Director: Jonathan Parker
Screenwriter: Jonathan Parker, Catherine di Napoli
Story: Herman Melville
Producer: Jonathan Parker

DVD Info

Release:

Aug 7, 2003

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 0
  • Keep Case
  • Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 - English

Additional Release Material:

  • Audio Commentary - 1. Jonathan Parker - Director
  • Featurette - 1. About the Theremin
  • Trailers

Interactive Features:

  • Scene Access
  • Interactive Menus

Text/Photo Galleries:

  • Filmographies

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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2/5

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Full Review | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
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N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
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N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
01/15/04
Guardian [UK]
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Ratings Image
2/5

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Full Review | comment Comment
01/13/04
Jamie Russell
BBC
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
05/16/08
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
Ratings Image
2.5/5

could have been better

Full Review | comment Comment
04/09/08
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
sbs.is
Ratings Image
2/5

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
4/5

No review available.

comment Comment
08/29/05
Todd Jorgenson
Denton Record Chronicle (TX)
Ratings Image
2/5

No review available.

comment Comment
08/19/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Ratings Image
3/5

No review available.

comment Comment
01/08/05
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Ratings Image
D

The film was weird, but not funny or meaningful.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/18/03
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Ratings Image
3/5

Glover is perfect for the role, and Paymer lends a strange, almost addictive voice to his character’s vocal style.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/09/03
David Cornelius
eFilmCritic.com
Ratings Image
4/5

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Full Review | comment Comment
04/05/03
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews
Ratings Image
2/5

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Full Review | comment Comment
03/10/03
Marrit Ingman
Austin Chronicle
Ratings Image
2/5

Melville is often favored for his troubled heroes on their obsessive, nihilistic journeys into the abyss. Of course this kind of thing can be easy to screw up on film, as Parker has done here.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/08/02
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
D

What was subtle and mystifying in the novella is now broad and farcical.

Full Review | comment Comment
11/04/02
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ratings Image
N/A

Paymer and Glover are terrific as the perplexed boss and the laconic non-performing employee.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/21/02
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan
Ratings Image
2/4

It's a film that hinges on its casting, and Glover really doesn't fit the part.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/16/02
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Ratings Image
3/4

You will likely prefer to keep on watching.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/16/02
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
08/09/02
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News
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