Barney's Version (2010)

Barney's Version is a big slice of Paul Giamatti pie, for all those who hoped it would be. 
It's sad it hasn't got more play here or America but then i can see why it's hard to sell- there's no really starry in it and the story is convoluted as shit.
Broadly put, it's about a guy who gets married 3times-first, outta misplaced duty; second time for security and finally, because he's found the love of his life. Now that's all Heartbreak Kid and dandy but it's told in a non-linear fashion and there's a murder mystery too (?!)... As you may have guessed Barney's Version only suffers from one thing- story- it's got way too many plates spinning at the same time. I looked at my watch expecting the film was concluding soon only to realise that only an hour had passed and there was an hour to go. It's got as much as a 4hour mini-series crammed into 2hours. 
I'm not going to say it's too long because this is good stuff but after the first hour, you kinda want a break.
Why? Because it's adapted from a prolific book and this is a common problem with film adaptations of literature. Film-makers seem to think they've got to pack it all in, whether it be for the fans of the book or to do 'justice' to the piece and they don't necessarily. I think there should be a sliding scale- if it's a book you could read in 2-3hours like say
Elmore Leonard's Out Of Sight- fine- adapt everything on the page but when you come too something like Watchmen, that's been slavishly-adapted it's too much for 2-3hours because Watchmen takes longer than that to read. It's a very dense book as is i'd imagine Barney's Version.
Perhaps-unfair-aimed-gripe-at-very-good-film over. It is stocked with great actors doing sterling work delivering great crisp dialogue. Giamatti is really good here in a meaty 3-ages-of-man role. Minnie Driver excels as his jewish-princess middle wife. Dustin Hoffman is incredibly funny in this as Giamatti's father. He's in it quite a bit too- It's no extended cameo. A great surprise about this movie is that it's quite Canadian- set mostly in Montreal, it features some great in-jokes on Canadian culture from silly director cameos. I could tell you why their funny but it wouldn't be funny if i had to explain, would it? Let's just say there are 2bits which would be akin to say, Mike Leigh in a mullet wig directing Footballer's Wives.
I also have issues with the ending and the fact that the comedy doesn't meld with the drama. There are lots of really funny moments but then there'll be cloying scenes of drama too- which is not to say you can't have a comedy drama- i love comedy dramas but here they mix like oil and water.
I'd imagine that this all seems like quite conflicting information.
Is it Giamatti's finest hour? Could be.
Is it worth watching? Yes.
But this would have been killer as a HBO mini-series.


I watched Barney's Version (2010) at the cinema.
My 2011 in Movies will return with The Secret of Kells (2010)...