Review of Barney's Version (2010) by Josh M — 16 Feb 2012

Barney's Version is an enjoyable and amusing disappointment, particularly for ex-Montrealers and those fans of the Richler book like me. The individual performances are mostly excellent, but the sum of its parts is a big letdown.

I quarrel with director Lewis's throwing out of the non-linear structure of the book for a more banal approach. In the book, Richler brilliantly starts with Barney trying to write a memoir to tell his side of a story before he loses his marbles. The thing he is mainly trying to correct is the perception that he killed his best friend Boogie. In this movie 'version', the events are mostly chronological, (it does jump around a little bit in time) and Boogie (Scott Speedman) quickly dies in the middle and Barney gets Alzheimer's at the end. Hence, there is less interest in finding out the truth. Without that, I'm not even sure what the point of this movie is.

Further, Paul Giamatti, a sensitive and soulful schlep, who gives terrific perfomances in almost all his films, (see my review of Win Win) seems to be unable to hit the right note as this character. Paul does not have the charisma to make us believe that this guy could get three stunningly beautiful women to marry him, and get away with his bad behavior towards them all. In the film he is grumpy, self aborbed and distant, without the redeeming quality of wit. If he is meant to stand in for author Richler, he is neither as charismatic nor as sexy and funny as the man himself. I know, I saw RIchler read numerous times.

Dustin Hoffman gives a delightful performance as Barney's vulgar Borscht belt ex-cop dad, and Rosamunde :Pike is luminous as the love of Barney's life, Miriam, who he loses at the end, after meeting her at a wedding ceremony for his unnamed Jewish Canadian Princess wife (Minnie Driver, passably amusing). Also in the film's favour, the forty year aging process for Giamatti and :Pike, both from an acting and makeup point of view is very effective. And Pike is barely 30!

Also on the plus side, the film is a love letter to Montreal, and it looks great in all its locations. The Roman scenes are nice, too, even though these scenes in the book were set in London. That didn't bother me. Apparently Richler is a huge seller in Italy.

It's a bit like an OK Woody Allen comedy with far fewer laughs. Barney's Version is worth a look for Richler fans, but the movie version of 'The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz' is still the best film 'version' of his work.