As Henry Chinaski – alter-ego of writer Charles Bukowski, poet, novelist and screenwriter of 1987's Barfly – the ever-watchable Dillon is a study in reckless resignation. This is a man who really doesn't care about women or work – they are both just something to do between (or with) drinks.

When he's not being fired, Henry toils over never-to-be-published manuscripts and shacks up with female fellow lowlifes (here meaning people with low aims in life, as opposed to out-and-out criminals).

Jan (Taylor) loves Henry, but a run of success at the racetrack stifles his creativity and makes him frustrated and mean. And one nauseatingly funny morning-after, he walks out on her.

A brief encounter with washed-out party girl Laura (Tomei, in an impressively grungy performance) doesn’t go anywhere meaningful either, so he winds up going back to Jan... who gives him crabs. Pass the bottle.

Though filmed in Minnesota with a mainly American cast, Factotum is very European in look and mood. Since the director and most of the crew (plus much of the budget) hail from Norway, this is hardly surprising.

It is also heavily influenced by Jim Jarmusch, with the indie auteur's regular collaborator Jim Stark acting as both producer and co-writer.

Dialogue is delivered in short, sharp shots, yet the frequent and frequently lengthy silences say much more about the characters. So far, so Jarmusch.

But where Jarmusch effortlessly weaves quirkiness into his work, director Bent Hamer tries a little too hard. Many of the chuckles are shoehorned in and the voiced-over excerpts of Bukowski's writing don’t gel with what's on screen.

Factotum is an easy movie to watch but, oddly, it would probably seem deeper in a foreign language.

It wants to be meaningful, but it just isn't. And as an American film with a European heart, it lacks a certain je ne sais quoi. So... anyone fancy a pint?

Elliott Noble