A Reel Review: BARNEY'S VERSION

Paul Giamatti turns in a near one-man show in BARNEY’S VERSION; a touching, heartbreaking and hilarious look at the last 30 years of one man’s roller-coaster life.

Barney (Giamatti) is a hard-drinking, hard-smoking, foul mouthed TV producer. His first wife gets knocked up by his best friend, and she commits suicide when unable to cope with his departure. Barney marries again, this time to The 2nd Mrs. P. (Minnie Driver). At the reception for wedding No. 2, Barney meets and falls in love with Miriam (Rosamund Pike). Guided by his father (Dustin Hoffman), Barney decides to pursue Miriam at the risk of his marriage, and is eventually thrilled by his best friend Boogie (Scott Speedman), having sex with The 2nd Mrs. P. After a drunken argument, Boogie disappears, and Barney is suspected of murder while battling his health issues.

BARNEY is one man’s story as he struggles and stumbles through love and romance. On the surface he seems like a complex character, but at the core BARNEY is a simple tale; he is a man who knows that he needs, but he does not know what.
The film lays out Barney’s past in a series of flashbacks, smartly intercut with his present predicaments. Aiding things is the remarkable makeup job on Giamatti, who goes from 60 to 30 in a blink. This film was nominated for Best Makeup in Oscar-land, and it deserves it.

For Giamatti, his Golden Globe win for his performance here is well-deserved. It can be argued that this is his best performance to date, and that says a lot when looking at the man’s body of work over the years. Giamatti really takes a hold of his character, and his lovesick pain and drunken behavior with a purpose is always perfectly portrayed. Right up against Giamatti is Rosamund Pike, who never misses a beat and is a perfect match for him. Hoffman provides a lot of comic relief as the horny old man, but also provides an excellent performance as a guiding father figure.

Director Richard J. Lewis, who has made a career in TV directing (CSI), strikes a perfect balance between smart storytelling and good old-fashioned camerawork. He knew what to do with his characters, script and surroundings.

The finale very much real-world and a bit of a heartbreaker. The character meets a fitting end in many ways, and audiences will feel the bitter sweetness. BARNEY’S VERSION never dulls and never fails to entertain, and is worth revisiting.

BOTTOM LINE: See it