Barney's Version Review

I'll watch Paul Giamatti in pretty much anything. Well, I walked out of Shoot 'Em Up and I didn't see Fred Claus. But whatever, he's one of my favourite actors who absolutely sells me on whatever it is he's playing. That's just as true of his portrayal of Barney Panofsky in Barney's Version as it is of any of the other characters he has played and this is what creates the problem. The character is such an idiot, such a dick in a lot of ways, that I ended up rooting for anyone and everyone else in the film. When I could be bothered to concentrate. Barney's Version is long, tangental and unfocused with a number of plot strands that don't really go anywhere. If it wasn't for Paul Giamatti I'd have probably given up on it.

The film takes us through Barney's life as the producer of a dubious television soap opera (now in its 30th season we're told near the beginning) two disasterous marriages, a third marriage to the love of his life that he single handedly destroys, the fact that he may or may not have committed murder and his eventual mental decline. There are good bits, a few good scenes, some genuinely funny moments, most of which involve Dustin Hoffman who almost steals the show as Barney's lothario, straight talking Dad and, as I said, Paul Giamatti is always reliable and doesn't disappoint here. But I couldn't get over that central problem. I had zero sympathy for the guy. I've seen a number of reviews describe Barney as a "lovable rogue" or some variation on that theme but that, for me, is incredibly euphamistic to the point of it not being true. I didn't like him, I was asked to care about him and I simply couldn't. The film makes a few attempts to redeem him near the end but they are way too little too late and the film ends up being a waste of a great actor giving a great performance.

4/10