Factotum and Its Discontents

Factotum still comes to mind even days after first seeing it. Films about artists, when they're good, are worthy of extra support. I also liked Capote (2005) and recently saw an older guy reading the screenplay in a hotel lobby, which is heartening. Running With Scissors, Factory Girl, and Fur (the Diane Arbus biopic) are all in the hopper, and let's not forget Ed Harris in Pollock (2000). I love these kinds of movies.

The three stars of Factotum are wonderful actors. Matt Dillon (b. 2/18/1964) emerged from the troubled youth milieu -- movies like The Outsiders (1983) and Rumble Fish (1983) -- to inhabit the land of troubled young adults, and then went on to a variety of new roles. I especially like his performances in Drug Store Cowboy (1989) along with William S. Burroughs and others; To Die For (1995), with Nicole Kidman; and Beautiful Girls (1996) alongside Uma Thurman and Mira Sorvino. And yes, he's great in Crash (2004), too.

Marisa Tomei (b. 12/4/1964), as Laura, has an episodic role in Factotum, and she does it well as a smart, dazed woman trying to make her way in the world; her bottom line: survival, enjoy life while you can. She's acted in many films by now, but my sentimental favorite is My Cousin Vinny (1992).

Lili Taylor (b. 2/20/1967) is another standout with a wide range of strong (and usually edgy) parts to her credit. Some of my favorite Lili Taylor performances are in Mystic Pizza (1988); Short Cuts (1993); I Shot Andy Warhol (1996); as Lisa in HBO's Six Feet Under (far funnier dead than alive); The Notorious Bettie Page, and now, Factotum. As for her acting choices, she once reportedly said, "As a woman, a lot of stories haven't been told and we've got a lot of catching up to do." Indeed.


Today's Rune: Fertility.

Beijus!