BARNEY'S VERSION (2010)

Genre: Drama
Director: Richard J. Lewis
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, Rachelle Levere, Scott Speedman
RunTime: 2 hrs 9 mins
Released By: Shaw
Rating: NC-16 (Some Sexual Scenes)
Official Website: http://www.sonyclassics.com/barneysversion/

Opening Day: 16 June 2011

Synopsis: Based on Mordecai Richler's prize-winning comic novel, BARNEY'S VERSION is the warm, wise, and witty story of Barney Panofsky, (Paul Giamatti), a seemingly ordinary man who lives an extraordinary life.  Barney’s candid confessional spans three decades and two continents, and includes three wives (Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, and Rachelle Lefevre), one outrageous father (Dustin Hoffman), and a charmingly dissolute best friend (Scott Speedman).  BARNEY’S VERSION takes us through the many highs -- and a few too many lows -- of a long and colorful life with an unlikely hero at its center -the unforgettable Barney Panofsky.

Movie Review:

You’ve probably heard this (too) many times: We only live life once, so make it worth living. And this is what this seriocomic adaptation of Canadian author Mordecai Richler;s award winning 1997 novel is trying to tell its audiences.

Barney Panofsky is the protagonist of this Canadian film directed by Richard J Lewis (TV’s CSI: Crime Scene Investigation), and we journey through some 30 years of his life. He goes through two failed marriages before meeting the love of his life, and somewhere in the mix is a neurotic father, a best friend whom he is accused of murdering, a Parisian artist and an American vegan.

These interesting characters form the bits and pieces of Panofsky’s life, and aren’t our lives made up of people we encounter? This is why this comedy drama film based on the novel of the same name works – it will resonate with anyone who has experienced the emotions of love.

In this day and age where things are kept prim and proper, it is difficult to imagine anyone living a politically incorrect but fully lived life. Despite being brash, snappish and brutally frank, Panofsky’s life is one that most of us wish to lead, one that will be without regret when we reflect upon it at our deathbeds.

If you are thinking about the morbidity of looking back on life only upon death, we can only say that this will only be an inevitable experience most of us would go through, as this 134 minute film suggests. We follow the hard drinking, cigar puffing and foul tempered anti hero who goes through varying mental states before eventually diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. This makes things all the more poignant, as one would ponder about the struggling devastation experienced by Panofsky (or even a close family member or friend who has suffered with Alzheimer’s disease) to remember life’s glories before everything becomes a blank.

Paul Giamatti (The Last Station) gives the best performance of his acting career as Panofsky. The earnestly stark portrayal of the titular character won the American actor a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor (Musical or Comedy), and it is puzzling why the Academy did not even give him a nomination at the Oscars. Throughout the film, you’d find yourself falling in love with the man (despite his countless shortcomings) and even becoming affectingly touched by his eventual fate. Giamatti’s performance is complemented by the luminous Rosamund Pike (Made in Dagenham) as his third wife and Dustin Hoffman (Meet the Fockers) as his supportive father. Elsewhere, the well cast supporting characters are played by Minnie Driver (The Phantom of the Opera), Rachelle Lefevre (The Twilight Saga: New Moon), Scott Speedman (The Strangers) and Bruce Greenwood (Mao’s Last Dancer). Each one of this group of fine actors give their all, and deliver moving performances as the people who made an impact in Panofsky’s life. Cinephiles will also spot the cameos by Canadian directors Atom Egoyan (Chloe) and David Cronenberg (Eastern Promises).

Although the film may be somewhat inconsistent in tone (it’s a “comedy drama” after all), it is well worth your time as you wander through a flawed hero’s life and reflect on the many things you may have missed out in your own.

Movie Rating:

(Top notch performances make this highly recommended film a touching experience)

Review by John Li