Barney's Version

Barney's Version is based upon the novel of the same name by Mordecai Richler. The film spans several decades showing us the life of a man named Barney Panofsky. The film does not hold back Barney's flaws as he is very foul mouthed, speaks his mind (whether you want him to, or not), drinks, smokes cigars and a lot of the time is an ego centric jerk. However during the years we see Barney change in some ways as he meets different women in his life and deals with family and friends as well as humour and tragedy that everybody can say would happen in their life and has. The trailers for Barney's Version, or at least the ones that I have seen being played on the television, make the film look like a raucous comedy, when really it couldn't be any farther from the truth, or what is really at the heart of the film. There is a great deal of comedy in this film as we laugh together with Barney and his antics and sometimes laugh right at him for his unsophisticated and ignorant ways. However as I said above we do get to see many different sides of Barney as the film goes along and after awhile I stopped thinking that this character is full of himself and kind of a jerk. Instead, I realized and I think the point of the writing and the film itself was to present him as a normal human being with some very good points and also some very obvious flaws, or things they need to work on, which in a sense I think describes just about anybody you can think of. By giving Barney a human side and allowing us the viewer to care for him in moments even when we don't want to, I feel it really enhances the film and our relationship with him and the other characters while watching it. I love when films do not just present characters as one dimensional and having no real flaws, or struggles and they just fit every perfect Hollywood hero out there. I find that when they do that it is so unbelievable and it is harder to like, care, or be interested in the characters because of this. I am so glad that Barney's Version took the opposite route. By not only caring for Barney in the film we get to care about his family and the circumstances that will either be the most joyous in his life, or the most heartbreaking and we are there every minute of it and it will keep us fascinated, concerned and move us sometimes into laughter and at other times close to tears. This film is a real powerfully emotional film. Yes there is the comedy aspect, but it goes so beyond that by showing the inevitable difficulties we will all end up facing in life and I think because it is done so strongly here, it makes us reflect on our own lives and the choices we have made so far no matter how old, or young you are and whether those choices have been good, or just the opposite. The writing of the characters and what makes them so human is one of the film's strongest points because they all have wonderfully different personalities and are all a joy to watch as we watch their lives unfold before us. The acting is also wonderful here especially by Paul Giamatti, who plays Barney in what I would call one of the best male performances of 2010. He embodies the role so perfectly and we can see the emotion, the hurt, the humour and everything coming out of this brilliant performance. The supporting actors and actresses are all very good here as well. I was so pleased at what an involving film this was. It took me away from my own world and thoughts and put me instead into Barney's world and made me laugh, cry and reflect with them and what a wonderful experience that was. Barney's Version is not only entertaining, but also deeply human and full of humour and tragedy that will both touch our hearts and leave us with what I think is a wonderful and insightful night out at the movies. Barney's Version is one of the best films of 2010 and I hope both American and Canadian audiences will embrace it and go out to see this wonderful gem.

That it is adapted from a lengthy but insightful and entertaining book and that there is a great cast are Barney's Version's main attractions, and for this viewer it did not disappoint. The book is also very vast in scope and is not easy to adapt, the film does a very bold job with the adapting even if due to only being just over 2 hours in length there was a fair bit of truncating. It's not entirely successful, there was a sense that the film did try to cram in a bit too much at first, making the odd part of the first half a tad hasty pace-wise, but on the most part it does succeed and is a very good film on its own terms.

Barney's Version is very well-made, always attractively photographed with striking locations and the film contains some of the best ageing make-up I've ever seen on film. The soundtrack consists of some interesting and varied songs that match the film well, particularly good was the poignant use of Leonard Cohen's Dance Me to the End of Love. And while the script mayn't be for everyone's tastes(admittedly it does ramble on at times), it certainly worked for me. The dialogue is literate and subtle but also snappy and hilarious, the best lines coming from Hoffman and Pike, while the book understandably does a better job balancing smart comedy, insight into relationships and emotional tragedy the film also balances them successfully with an often poignant second half. The story is not hard to follow at all, is well-paced on the whole and is interestingly and beautifully told, again the comedy and tragedy being well-balanced(the scene with Miriam being handed Barney's wallet with the wedding seating card with her words is incredibly emotional).

It's solidly directed and while the characters are not likable as such that was not the intention. What's more important is if they're interesting and in Barney's Version they are, Barney while seemingly irredeemable is a compellingly real character that I found myself relating to in the latter stages of the film. Even other characters are seemingly placid on the surface there is a great deal of complexity, particularly Miriam. The acting is superb, especially from a truly outstanding Paul Giamatti in a performance that in his career has only been bettered in Sideways. In support, particularly good are a hilarious Dustin Hoffman and Rosamund Pike who radiates visually(she's rarely looked more beautiful on film, although she is one of the most naturally beautiful living actresses) and gives a performance that is snappy and enchanting. Scott Speedman and Bruce Greenwood do just fine too, and Minnie Driver while with not much screen-time and a caricature character looks like she is enjoying herself, making the most of her humorous lines.

To conclude, a very good film that is especially so for the acting. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Mordecai Richler wrote a number of books focusing on Canada's Jewish community. Most notable was "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz", filmed starring Richard Dreyfuss. Years later he brought about "Barney's Version", which eventually got filmed starring Paul Giamatti and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Makeup.

Much like Duddy Kravitz, the protagonist here makes his own rules. In fact, I was reading about Mordecai Richler and it turns out that what Richler based Barney's major action in this movie on what he personally did. Quite a rough story, but a good one. It's not a great movie, but I recommend it.

I just saw this wonderful film which is an amazing adaption to Richler's story. The acting of the entire cast is extraordinary with Paul Giamatti, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver and the great Dustin Hoffman giving superlative performances. I sat in a small art-house cinema in a suburb of Tel-Aviv, Israel and the quite large audience (for a Saturday afternoon) enjoyed the film in total silence. You could have heard a pin drop (and that doesn't happen very often!).

I note that some reviewers were offended by the fact that some of the characters were unpleasant Jews. Well, that happens in life and as a Jew I wasn't offended one little bit. Like every other people we have nice and not nice people and I found the film to be very truthful, very funny and also very sad. An exceptional achievement!

The movie moved me through it's no holds barred view of Barney's life. We see his imperfections and self-inflicted wounds even as he tries to build a life and family with his true love. Paul Giamatti wonderfully portrays a life though the stages from youthful and idealistic 20's through the difficulties of aging and confronting death. If you want to give yourself a chance to be introspective about your own path and the choices you've made in the various parts of your life you'll find this movie to be very moving. It is a movie that the 50+ crowd will find to be meaningful and honest. There is a lot to dislike about Barney and the way he has hurt others, yet there is a good heart underneath it all (as he yet fulfills the adage of being his own worst enemy). This was a wonderful movie, now I'm looking forward to reading the book and then seeing it again.