Review: Barney's Version

Review: Barney's Version

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 79%

Audience: 78%

If you ask people who won the Golden Globe for best actor in a motion picture this year, most of them won't get it right. After all, it was Colin Firth's year for The King's Speech, wasn't it? Actually, Paul Giamatti, the Robert De Niro of his generation, won the award for this film. It's based on Mordecai Richler's 1997 novel of the same name and centers on a man, Barney Panofsky who meets the woman of his dreams at his marriage to his second wife. It sounds a bit like Heartbreak Kid, the 1972 version with Charles Grodin and Cybill Shepherd -- but it's that and so much more.

There are fine supporting performances in this movie from Minnie Driver (Mrs. P. No. 2) and Dustin Hoffman (Barney's dad Izzy), but it is Giamatti who carries the film. He brilliantly portrays all the highs and lows of 30 years of Barney's life.

Barney is an exasperating man given to eruptions of altruism and generosity, a fascinating man come to life through the gifts of Paul Giamatti.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it