Review of Barney's Version (2010) by Jim M — 04 Jul 2011

In Montreal 66 year old televison producer Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti) is the subject of a retired police detectives book, in which he is accused of murdering his best friend nearly 30 years earlier. This and the onset of Alzheimars forces Barney to candidly remeber his life begging with his bohemian lifestyle and first marrage (to Rachelle Lefevre) in Italy which ends in tragedy, his return to Montreal and begging in TV well marrying again (to wealthy and spoiled Jewish princess Minnie Driver), to his courtship of his 3rd wife (Rosamund Pike) which begins at the wedding reception of his 2nd marriage, to his relationship with his ex-cop father Izzy (Dustin Hoffman) and his best friend Boogie (Scott Speedman).

Holy shit are Hoffman and Giamatti great in this. Giamatti plays Barney perfectly at every stage of his life always rarely without a drink or a cigar far from his hand (one of the best facial expressions ever, at a dinner party watch Giamatti's face well Bruce Greenwood goes on about why he's a Vegan). Hoffman is great as always and steals every scene, fuck Hollywood for not giving him more work. Hoffman's Izzy is a man well aware of his failings yet still determined to live and enjoy what time he has left to the fullest, and one can see why Barney is so loyal to the man (love the scene where Paul Giamatti tells off Minnie Drivers father for disrespecting Hoffman). Scott Speedman plays a smug prick well I'll give him that. Rachelle Lefevre and Minnie Driver make little impact as wives except in how unlikable they are, which is the point nether of these woman where marriage material at least as far as Barney is concerned. Rosamund Pike however is stunning. From resisting his advances to falling for his charm and putting up with his faults, to the betrayal that ends there marriage (thats spelled out in the first scene so no spoilers here) to the final scenes when she re-enters his life towards its end Pike does simply an amazing job as an actress (plus the scene where she's laying on the bed in her panties, I mean HOLY FUCK thats one fine woman there). Actually all the scenes that show Barney's onset of Alzheimar's is great (especially where he's yelling at Macha Grenon's character an actress named Solange). Special mention should go to Bruce Greenwood who pulls off the difficult task of making Blair (Pike's 2nd Husband) into a person where you can see why Giamatti would find him an insufferable prick, yet also why Pike would hook up with him after divorcing Barney.

One of the best Canadian films of the decade, it washes away the memories I had of "Cairo Time". Seriously if you had the misfortune of watching that film check out Barny's Version.