John Goodman is not an actor.
Barton Fink is a 1991 American period film written , produced , directed and edited by the Coen brothers .. period. period piece. Coen brothers. Coen brothers. Set in 1941 , it stars John Turturro in the title role as a young New York City playwright who is hired to write scripts for a film studio in Hollywood , and John Goodman as Charlie , the insurance salesman who lives next door at the run-down Hotel Earle .. John Turturro. John Turturro. John Goodman. John Goodman. playwright. playwright. The Coens wrote the screenplay for Barton Fink in three weeks while experiencing difficulty during the writing of Miller 's Crossing .. They began filming the former soon after Miller 's Crossing was finished .. The film is influenced by works of several earlier directors , particularly Roman Polanski 's Repulsion -LRB- 1965 -RRB- and The Tenant -LRB- 1976 -RRB- .. Roman Polanski. Roman Polanski. Repulsion. Repulsion ( film ). The Tenant. The Tenant. Barton Fink had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1991 .. Cannes. 1991 Cannes Film Festival. Cannes Film Festival. 1991 Cannes Film Festival. In a rare sweep , it won the Palme d'Or , as well as awards for Best Director and Best Actor -LRB- Turturro -RRB- .. Palme d'Or. Palme d'Or. Best Director. Best Director Award ( Cannes Film Festival ). Best Actor. Best Actor Award ( Cannes Film Festival ). Although the film was a box office bomb , only grossing $ 6 million against its $ 9 million budget , it received positive reviews and was nominated for three Academy Awards .. box office bomb. box office bomb. Prominent themes of Barton Fink include the writing process ; slavery and conditions of labor in creative industries ; superficial distinctions between high culture and low culture ; and the relationship of intellectuals with `` the common man '' .. high culture. high culture. low culture. low culture. The diverse elements of the film have led it to defy efforts at genre classification , with the work being variously referred to as a film noir , a horror film , a Kunstlerroman , and a buddy film .. film noir. film noir. horror film. horror film. Kunstlerroman. Kunstlerroman. buddy film. buddy film. It contains various literary allusions and religious overtones , as well as references to many real-life people and events -- most notably the writers Clifford Odets and William Faulkner , of whom the characters of Barton Fink and W. P. Mayhew are often seen as fictional representations .. Clifford Odets. Clifford Odets. William Faulkner. William Faulkner. Several features of the film 's narrative , particularly an image of a woman at the beach which recurs throughout , have sparked much commentary , with the Coens acknowledging some intentional symbolic elements while denying an attempt to communicate any single message in the film .. Despite disagreement around certain details of the work , Barton Fink continues to be positively received , with screenwriter Charlie Kaufman among its admirers .. Charlie Kaufman. Charlie Kaufman