A man with an extremely wide range of acting talent, Paul Giamatti (Sideways) proves that he can take on anything thrown at him. You can witness this proof of talent in his latest film, Barney’s Versions, where Giamatti stars as Barney Panofsky, a television producer of a long-running Canadian soap opera. He looks back on his life when a book is published about the investigation into his best friend’s disappearance. Barney’s Version takes us through each of his marriages while switching back to the present in which he is divorced and alone.
Mr. Giamatti won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for his portrayal of Barney Panofsky in a story that covers decades with three marriages as well as a suspected murder. His performance is best summed up by Barney’s first wife who tells him, “Barney, you wear your heart on your sleeve. Put it away.” The ensemble of talented supporting actors truly do support Giamatti’s performance, but there were almost too many and they were too good. I wanted more of each of them.
Dustin Hoffman (Meet the Fockers) as his father was sweet and provided a great anchor for Barney. Although Minnie Driver (Grosse Pointe Blank) was good, I didn’t get a good sense of why Barney would marry her. Rosamund Pike (Surrogates) was lovely as Barney’s last wife, Miriam, a woman of dimension. Her story was again one that I would like to follow.
I also had issues with his relationship with his friend Boogey (my new Bradley Cooper, Scott Speedman from Underworld) just for the fact that they never really outlined exactly how or why they were friends. It was obvious that Barney was the one amongst the small group of them with a job and money, but I wanted to see more of the back-story. I wanted to know why someone would suspect him of the murder of his best friend. Also, Miriam didn’t mention this at all, it was as if it didn’t happen.
I did notice that director Richard J. Lewis, known mostly for his television work with CSI, subtly used mirrors in pivotal scenes and it gives a sense of the duality of the moment. It’s as if we are seeing one version of events, but told another. Also, hints of brighter colors, like blue and red, are introduced at important times and seem to symbolize key moments of Barney’s life.
The film itself was enjoyable, but I wouldn’t call it amazing or monumental. There were many holes and the characters were so well crafted that they almost out-shined Barney. It’s fairly predictable, and even though the makeup work was very good at turning him from a young man to an old one, it was sometimes difficult to tell which version of the present we were in due to that fact. I do think Paul Giamatti is just too good in everything. He makes it seem so effortless. I’m happy he was recognized and won the Golden Globe. Good work Paul!
Rating: An entertaining comedy-drama for a lazy Sunday afternoon.
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