Review of Barney's Version (2010) by Daniel P — 19 Jan 2013

Adapted from probably the best Canadian novel ever written, Barney's Version does lose something in the transition from page to screen: voice. Maybe those who haven't read the book won't notice, but the first-person narration is where the novel really shines; without it, the opening exposition (over half an hour, in the film) is really quite dull.

Stick with this one, though; the ante ramps up, particularly when we see the alluded-to death of Boogie (played by Scott Speedman). This is the one aspect of the adaptation that's spot-on: the way it's shot, we don't know what or who killed Boogie.

The film's ending does strip the magic out of the final realization, though, showing you something that suggests what happened to the body then, (finally in some first-person narration, a voice-over), telling you in an incredibly jarring way what's going on, dumbing-down the entire film, in a way.

Good acting helps you get to the end - Dustin Hoffman is especially good as Barney's father, and Paul Giamatti convinces you to root for the title character, despite his despicable tendencies - but the novel may well have been unadaptable.

It's not a terrible movie, but it's certainly not without its flaws, either.