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88That character flaw makes for some great shock-fueled laughs in Lewis' film -- Giamatti does full-on comic rage as well as anyone.
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88Giamatti's performance is one of those achievements. He is making a career of playing unremarkable but memorable men.
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83Paul Giamatti, dialing down his trembly-voiced neurotic energy to good effect, gives a holy hell of a performance as Barney Panofsky.
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80Whatever it is, Giamatti finds it and sells it. And despite a few dead ends with the story, I'm buying.
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Jan 24, 201180While perhaps a touch overlong and with plot strands that don't hang together as well as they might, this is remains a triumph, illuminated by a terrific leading man turn from Paul Giamatti.
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80By the time Barney gets one final, heartbreaking chance to screw things up, this rich, satisfying film has you hooked.
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80Whatever the film's flaws, and like its protagonist, there are times when things get a bit out of control, watching Giamatti use Barney to wrestle with success, failure, friendship, love and increasingly with time is exhilarating.
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80Barney's Version is one of those rare films whose caricature of life undeniably illuminates. It's the vivid story of the topsy-turvy character so flawed you love him despite yourself.
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75It's a breezy and charming film in all, well-acted, playful and filled with real joie de vivre.
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75That rumpled grumpus Paul Giamatti seizes the title role in Barney's Version, summoning irresistibility and irritability to create a character as endearing as he is galling.
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75If Richard J. Lewis's film can't re-create the novel's complex stew of grievances, dirty jokes and misremembered anecdotes, it's still a warm tribute.
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75Driver's over-the-top Jewish Canadian Princess performance is so stereotypical it's downright embarrassing in a film that otherwise treats its imperfect characters with respect even when they're at their worst.
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75Giamatti and Pike are backed by a strong cast, including Minnie Driver, lots of fun as Barney's Jewish princess second wife.
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75Paul Giamatti brings just the right blend of irascible charm and caustic intelligence to the role of Barney.
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75A feisty domestic comedy about a curmudgeon with a heart, looking back over his misspent life.
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75An overstuffed odyssey that, while disappointing on many levels, has standout performances by Paul Giamatti.
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70If Giamatti's particular brand of sad-eyed misanthropy floats your boat, you'll enjoy Barney's Version, an overcrammed and galumphing movie that nonetheless provides a bracing jolt of pure, uncut Giamatti.
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70Barney's Version is too much of a sprawl to have much of a lasting emotional effect.
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70In spite of Mr. Giamatti's ferociously energetic performance Barney's Version never figures out just who Barney is.
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67The performances are superlative, as is much of the film's Jewish flavor. The ham is barely noticeable.
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67Giamatti is a superb expressionist of emotional flotsam, with a Golden Globe for his effort.
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67The film, lacking narration or much explanation of the character, is an outsider's version rather than his own. It's intriguing, but almost always frustrating.
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67The highbrow intentions of Barney's Version suffer from a constant pile up of dead ends.
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63Melodramatic, impulsive, painful, but never quite "totally unnecessary."
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63Barney's Version has episodes instead of plot, outbursts instead of wit and alibis instead of growth.
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63A smart, well-acted two hours at the art house, full of witty observations and fellow feeling. But, really, it has no business being a movie.
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63The movie version of that life, directed by Richard J. Lewis, gives the adaptation an earnest go. But the script lacks juice.
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63Rosamund Pike is perfection as Barney's true love, and Dustin Hoffman makes magic as Barney's randy dad. It's acting heaven.
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60Even if you can forgive the crude JAP caricatures (et tu Minnie Driver?) and the blatantness of the film's attempts to make you sob, you're still left with lovely actors stuck in a lackluster cover version of the real thing.
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50The filmmakers try to make us sympathize with Barney by surrounding him with even more annoying types.
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50Not having read the Richler novel, I can't comment on the movie's fidelity to it, but this has the overstuffed feel of a sprawling, life-spanning story that's been wrestled down to feature length.
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50Barney's Version misses every opportunity for raucous picaresque fun that the book throws its way, while squandering a wealth of transatlantic performing talent led by Paul Giamatti.
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38A sour, plotless and witless comedy-drama based on the final Mordecai Richler novel, wants to remind you of "Sideways" and its forlorn drink-moistened soul search. Giamatti is an ideal casting choice, but even this talented actor can't sell a lovable-jerk
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User score distribution:
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Positive: 8 out of 11
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Mixed: 1 out of 11
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Negative: 2 out of 11
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