BARNEY'S VERSION

“BARNEY’S VERSION” (Paul Giamatti & Dustin Hoffman)

At first, I thought this was going to be a dark comedy/murder mystery (due to the title) after Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti) is confronted by a homicide detective in a bar who tells him he’s a murderer and when the body is found it will prove his guilt. But this isn’t just Barney’s version of what happened when someone close to him is missing and Barney is found past out with two bullets missing from the gun he was holding – the film is actually Barney’s version of his life. The make-up crew should be credited as Giamatti does seem to age several years as the story is told.
What is hard to believe is that three semi-gorgeous women fall in love with and marry short, frumpy, baggy-eyed alcoholic Barney during his lifetime. But then again, since this IS Barney’s version, perhaps the wives weren’t really as attractive as the women Barney conjures up to play them in his ‘version’.
Thinking that way helps to buy the premise.
It opens in present day as we discover that Barney has an ex-wife and two grown children. He works at a television studio called ‘Totally Unnecessary Productions’ where they product totally unnecessary products (apparently)
Marc Bolan & T. Rex introduce the first flashback to 1974 where Barney & his drunken cohorts, Boogie, Leo & the black guy are carousing with the ‘1st’ Mrs. P. whom Barney married because he knocked her up. When their stillborn child comes out dark skinned, pow! there goes the black friend. And soon afterward, the 1st Mrs. P.
On to Montreal in 1975 when Barney meets an out of his league Jewish Princess (played by Minnie Driver) who for some unknown reason falls in love with & marries Barney. At their wedding reception, Barney meets his true love, Miriam Grant (Rosamund Pike)
When Barney asks who the guy with Miriam was, the 2nd Mrs. P. tells him he’s her gay cousin who pretends to be straight so he doesn’t embarrass the family.
“Better to live a lie rather than embarrass the family, sure,” Barney mutters.
So newlywed Barney begins to shower Miriam with gifts & flowers because she wrote down the score of the Stanley Cup finals game that Barney was missing due to his wedding.
Watching this tale, I knew I didn’t like Barney, I didn’t like his in-laws; his friends were hard-core alcoholics & I simply couldn’t buy into the concept that Minnie Driver would fall in love with a drunk that looked like Paul Giamatti (Even with the cute French-inspired wig)
Still, I wasn’t disliking the movie – I credit the witty dialogue. These people weren’t likable, but they said some clever snappy lines that kept me interested.
The one redeeming character was Barney’s dad, Izzy (Dustin Hoffman) an ex-cop that pokes fun at the exasperatingly Jewish In-Laws and defends his son against the homicide detective obsessed with charging Barney with murder.
Barney, it turns out, despite being a raging alcoholic that never seems to think he has a 'problem', has an extremely lucky life - for a loser.
I think I liked this movie for it's uniqueness - it reminded me at times of Michael Douglas's 'Solitary Man', except Barney is a schlub who obtains a comfortable living by lucking out.
There were a few questions I had at the end of the film, which I won’t relate here since they’d give away the ending so I’m hoping they’ll be answered in the sequel when he hear ‘Fred’s Version’.