Review of Barney's Version (2010) by Stacey B — 03 Aug 2011

7.5/10.

There's something that I like about Paul Giamatti when it comes to his actions and his speech. He's almost an awkward man; but he's good at being that guy. He's played assholes before his character in "Barney's Version", but this one takes the cake. It's a good movie with a couple good stars and one very great one; and I'm sure you can guess who that is. It makes the most out of the source material, which is a novel written by Mordecai Richler. I haven't read the book for myself, but as they always say, it's probably better than the movie; but at least it got a good adaptation.

The story here concerns Barney Panofsky (Giamatti); a chain-smoking, forever-drinking middle-aged Jewish man who recalls his life, which was filled with mistakes and temporary happiness. He had three wives; one of them was, for sure, a keeper. The last wife he ever had was accepting, tolerant, beautiful, whimsical; all of the things that Barney was not. However, Barney was not a particularly pleasant person; and thus...temporary happiness.

The tale is told from Barney's point-of-view. That is why it is called his "version". It could be seen from many different angles, but the storyteller here doesn't care, and provides us with one view from one single human being. Barney gets married. His first wife kills herself. He gets married again, but this time, at his second marriage, he meets a woman who he thinks he might fancy more. She is unsure. Barney is on a whole other page. He will stop at nothing to marry the woman who he met as his own wedding, and there you have it.

The story is told efficiently, and pleasantly enough; without the epic-scale of other life-story films. It's about as good as "Forrest Gump" and not as good as "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", if one was compelled to compare, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth anything. In fact, I believe this story deserved to be told. It is, to say the least; admirable in the way it presents itself. It was a pleasure to watch; well-told, well-written overall, with only its over-length keeping the tale itself from greatness.

However, there is also one other problem; Barney is the only character that the film actually cares much about. He has a father (Dustin Haufman) who he often goes to for advice in what to do with his life, but even Hoffman's character isn't as complexly layered and detailed as the Barney character. The other side-characters either feel under-written or intentionally devoid of memorability; but then again, this is not truly a memorable movie.

Everything is there; everything is in place. The film isn't terribly daring, but I'm not going to lie; it certainly works. I believe that Giamatti carries the film on his shoulders. It's a typical story adapted from a presumably very good novel; and the translation from page-to-screen can only go so well. I'll say it goes smoothly enough here; director Richard J. Lewis seems to understand that over-stylizing films like this one can lead to their failure. He focuses on the drama and the performance of the lead, and he hits the target. It's not a perfect film, but I think it's quite good.

I've stated all the problems that come with this story, and I've stated pretty much everything I like about the film. If you like Paul Giamatti as much as I do, then yes, I'd say that you MIGHT just want to see it. There's not a whole lot that inspires me; nor do I think I would watch it again and study it with intense depth, but I have a lot of admiration for this film. Giamatti makes his piece-of-shit-human-being character work more than the character has the right to; and I liked that. Giamatti is an achiever; and so are most of the films he is in. He can make them work, and "Barney's Version", presenting Giamatti in top form; with a cigar in his mouth and booze in his breathe, is no exception.