Bartleby Summary
MPAA Rating: PG13
Director: Jonathan Parker
Genres: Comedy Drama
Rating:
Herman_Melville's short story -Bartleby the Scrivener gets a slightly surreal update in this offbeat comedy drama. The manager (David_Paymer) of the city records department in a mid-sized California community decides that his staff of three -- flirty chatterbox Vivian (Glenne_Headly), sloppy Vietnam vet Ernie (Maury_Chaykin), and slick-suited, Don Juan wannabe Rocky (Joe_Piscopo) -- could use some help, so he places an ad looking for a new employee. The boss ends up hiring the one and only applicant who wants the position, a quiet, pale young man named Bartleby (Crispin_Glover). At first, Bartleby is a model of efficiency, but before long he loses enthusiasm for his job, much to the annoyance of his co-workers, and soon he's spending his days staring at an air conditioning vent. The Boss asks Bartleby to get back to work, but Bartleby's repeated reply to such requests is, "I prefer not to," and the Boss sees little recourse but to fire him. However, Bartleby refuses to leave his desk, and it soon becomes obvious that Bartleby has not only stopped doing his work -- he's stopped going home and has moved into the office. Bartleby was the first feature film for producer/director Jonathan_Parker; he also wrote the screenplay, in collaboration with Catherine Di Napoli. Mark Deming, Rovi
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