Review of Barney's Version (2010) by Andrew S — 26 Mar 2011

Oh the deception of the trailer, according to the trailer presented I was expecting something along the lines of a comedy and/or a light-hearted drama, perhaps. However this was not the case for either of these items.

The film was more along the lines of a tragic-comedy which I didn't mind so much. The humor presented was dark which I rather enjoyed. But for me the film fell a bit flat, while the content managed to rouse a few chuckles out of me that's about all it was capable of.

Rosamund Pike's character was completely devoid of any interesting personality traits her performance is monotone for the duration of the entire film, I really wanted to like her and the performance but it was to difficult since she provided the audience with nothing to work with.

Paul Giamatti gives an outstanding performance as per usual. I believe it is Dustin Hoffman, Scott Speedman, and Minnie Driver who comprise the supporting cast are the ones who really shine. It wasn't until a few days after I watched the film that a realization dawned on me that those who are not familiar with the source material might have missed some crucial details in the film.

I was having a conversation with another individual who had seen the film and read the book. During the course of our conversation the person revealed to me the true intend of the ending of the film. Although I do posses a very keen eye for attention to detail this completely did not connect with me while I was engaged in watching the film.

I'm a firm believer in the notion of not having the director spoon feed their audience but I don't think this point was illustrated clear enough for those of us who are not familiar with the material the film is based on.