Barney's Version

Of the few movies I really wanted to see but missed at this year's past Toronto International Film Festival, Barney's Version is the one that I regretted the most. It was one of the few shining examples of Canadian film on display at the festival (and was anchored by the fact that it was based off the critically acclaimed final novel by Canadian literary icon Mordecai Richler), but apparently I was not the only one aiming to see it. And after seeing the final film nearly five months later, I can see why.

Barney (Paul Giamatti) is an aging television producer, divorced and comforted only by his cigars and rash drinking habits. As a new book is released detailing some sordid details of an event Barney would rather forget, he starts to look back on his life and all the many mistakes he made. And after three failed marriages, "many" may not be the apt word to describe them.

I had read Barney's Version as a forced assignment in my final year of high school, and never finished it cover to cover. It was dense, lengthy, rambled for pages on end, and just did not feel satisfyingly cohesive. It was punctuated throughout with hilarity, tragedy, and sorrow, but never wallowed in it. You could practically smell the detail of the characters wafting off each page. And as the title suggests, it was the story of Barney's life, as told by Barney. It was a somewhat enjoyable book, but having almost failed the assignment, my memories of it are rather tarnished.

To my delight, this is not how the movie feels at all.

As opposed to a literal page to screen translation, Michael Konyves has instead whittled and simplified the narrative down to the basics. He changes, updates and moves a few things around, and loses others completely. While this may outrage some fans of the book, it makes the film all the easier to digest. It never gets lost in what it is trying to say, and never falls into any of the densely boring traps the novel set out for itself. The odd and intimate details of each character are still here (more so from the principal cast than the supporting players), as is the snappy and hilarious dialogue. And for the entire running time, the film stays in Richler's unique voice, never straying into unknown or lesser territory in any instance. For someone who has previously worked mainly in television, this is an excellent achievement and one that makes me look forward to Konyves future projects.

As a Canadian myself, it pains me to note that the majority of films I see are of foreign creation. So it was with great surprise that Barney's Version, a Canadian film, looked and felt just as good as any film coming out of the likes of the United States. The sweeping decades-long set design, costumes, makeup and soundtrack are all handled excellently as well. The little quips about Montreal and Canadian life are great, as are the small blink-and-you'll-miss-them cameos by some of the country's most famous auteurs. And unlike so many Canadian-made films, Barney's Version stays true to the nation of its birth but never force feeds Canadiana down the audience's throats. This of course, is a small quip that may not be noticed in the slightest by most audiences. But it is one that should be duly noted for all future Canadian productions nonetheless.

As Barney, Giamatti is stunning and perfect as always. He is one of the most talented and underrated character actors of his generation, and he continues to prove his worth and excellence here. Barney's life is an emotional roller-coaster, and Giamatti gives his all to make the audience really feel for this pathetic, misguided, adolescent shell of a man. It reminded me a lot of his work in Sideways, and is likely his strongest work to date. No matter what emotion or word he is trying to convey, you will hang on every sound and look. He just keeps getting better with each new year, each new role. This is not quite the inspired brilliance of Colin Firth in The King's Speech, or the emotional powerhouse of James Franco in 127 Hours, but it is yet another example of how criminally overlooked he is come award season.

The rest of the cast is fairly solid, no matter their screen time. Rachelle Lefevre, Minnie Driver and especially Rosamund Pike are all excellent as Barney's wives, as is Scott Speedman as his best friend Boogie. But they are all overshadowed by Dustin Hoffman in the role of Barney's father Izzy. He steals the show from just about everyone, providing more gusto and depth than he has in years. And it does not hurt that he has the most hilariously devastating moment in the entire film.

If I have to hold anything against the film at all, it is in the fact that it loses its momentum much too soon. The entire first half of the film almost feels like whiplash from how fast-paced it moves along. But once the second half comes, and the emotional weight of the movie kicks into gear, it slows down a bit too hard. It never becomes boring, and never drags its heels like the book does, but it just lacks the power and finesse of everything that comes before it. The zest and drive of the film are always there, but with how much has been altered and changed to make the film more accessible to audiences, I think they could have done a bit more to keep the film going for its entire 132-minute running time.

Barney's Version is a revelation of a film, packed with a great story, excellent dialogue and even better performances. This is one of the unsung best films of the year, and one that has and will continue to be criminally overlooked.

9/10.

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

"Barney's Version" is a strong production with fantastic acting, definitely worth checking out if you enjoy intense character dramas. It's about a guy named "Barney" (Paul Giamatti) who seems to be perpetually unlucky at love--not in a funny romcom way but in a tragic Shakespearean way--although his life is otherwise successful. Adding spice to the story is a subplot about an obsessed detective who is intent on pinning a 20-year-old unsolved murder wrap on Barney's head. Thus the story is part romance, part drama and part murder mystery, and it's done with enough intrigue that it never gets boring even though the film is 2hrs 14mins long.

My one gripe, as I mentioned in the title, is that our protagonist "Barney" is not really a likeable character. If you truly analyze his behavior, his choices and his actions & with regard to other people, you quickly realize that Barney has absolutely no empathy for others, and even his "love" for women in his life is purely need-based. This threw me for a loop, and it may confuse you as well, especially during the scenes where we're supposed to feel sorry for Barney.

Barney's unlikeability was deliberate, and Paul Giamatti does a great job of making the character engaging to us, even though if we were to meet someone like this in real life we would probably cross to the other side of the street, even if it were the LA freeway. I haven't read the book, and I'm not sure what the message is, other than an excercise in sympathizing with a person who is himself utterly unsympathetic to anyone else. But it's an interesting and powerful effect, especially when certain things happen toward the end that make this a very sentimental film.

I took off a few points because the writers used a few schlocky stereotypes to manipulate us into hating certain characters. For example, Barney's rival is a vegan who rambles about animals at dinner, and that's supposed to make us hate him (he doesn't have many other lines in the film). Or similarly, Barney's first wife has an annoying, nasal, Janice-from-Friends voice, and that's supposed to make us hate her and justify Barney's coldness toward her. I thought that was lazy writing. But other than that, most of the characters are interesting enough and well acted.

I would compare "Barney's Version" to other heavy dramas that feature unlikeable yet pitiable characters who make bad choices, such as "Streetcar Named Desire" (as well as its modern remake "Blue Jasmine") or "Leaving Las Vegas". There's a bit more humor in this film so it's not quite as heavy as the others I mentioned, but it's still a film that will affect you, even if it makes you feel a little bit dirty. Just be prepared to hate the main character and you'll have a good time.

I saw Barney's Version in Toronto. Loved it. Superb performances by all actors. Give yourself a night off, forget about your problems and find out about Barney's problems and his friends problems, and his wive's problems. It will make your life seem better. If you read the book, you most definitely will enjoy the movie. Poor Barney, nothing seems to turn out the way he wanted. He makes two really bad mistakes in his personal life and even though he is successful in business, he is really miserable and doesn't know how to fix it. An unexpected turn of events, and voilà, his worst problem is solved. But in an instant, he messes up again and is suspected of murder. The answer isn't revealed until the very end. I really felt sorry for Barney. The best line of the movie comes out of Minnie Driver on their Honeymoon. The best scene in the movie is a buff Scott Speedman stripping down to his underwear to go snorkeling. Dustin Hoffman is funny as heck. His son is also in the movie and is quite good. Rosamund Pike is enchanting and I see why Barney loved her so much. Barney is played by Paul Giammati and I will picture him as Barney forever. I wanted to give him a hug.

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.