Barney`s Version

Directing over 40 episodes of C.S.I. or the video sequel My Partner with the Cold Mouth 3 does not necessarily suggest great things. But Richard J. Lewis has succeeded with the film adaptation of the best-selling Barney`s Version (As Barney Sees It) by the late author Mordecai Richler, who died in 2001, a wonderful tragicomedy that is one of the nicest surprises of the 2011 cinema summer.

The story is told of aging TV producer Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti), who looks back on an eventful life. His first marriage was the result of unprotected sex and ended with the suicide of Barney's young wife. He then celebrates his second marriage with a wealthy Jewish woman (Minnie Driver) who could offer him some security in life. But foolishly, at his own wedding of all places, Barney finds true love in the form of Miriam (Rosamund Pike) - who, after great effort and a bitter breakup with spouse number two, becomes his third wife. But even the really great love doesn`t last a lifetime and so Barney`s third marriage also threatens to be doomed.

Barney`s version is a real stroke of luck. A wonderful story, great actors, picturesque locations, and a tenderly humorous production all combine to make this adaptation of the novel something very special. Lewis perfectly blends humor and drama into a touching whole. But what's really amazing is that the film works so well despite the fact that its main character is actually a total unlikeable. Barney is selfish, cynical, and even a little vicious at times. At the same time, he's also kind of endearing, thanks to Paul Giamatti's wonderful performance, for which the mime rightfully won a Golden Globe.

He's joined by a great ensemble of supporting actors, from a good-humored Dustin Hoffman as Barney's father, to the charmingly acted Rosamund Pike (We Want Sex, James Bond - Die Another Day) as Barney's great love Miriam, or even Scott Speedman as his best friend Boogie, whose disappearance without a trace after an argument between the two men acts as a sort of little mystery within Barney's life story. You can tell the actors love the story and their characters, so they came to work with a lot of obvious joy in playing.

Four decades in the troubled life of an extraordinary man who seems to have loved his cigars and a good drop more than he loved his first two wives, who found the great love with his third wife and yet couldn't really be happy. It's the perfect stuff for hearty laughs, but also for shedding a tear or two. Even if the adaptation comes across as a little less biting than the acclaimed novel, the bottom line is that Richard J. Lewis has managed to create an enchanting work full of wonderful moments, a film that revels in engaging imagery with bitter comedy, tender romance and moments of quiet drama. And this is absolutely worth seeing, if only for the tremendously complex acting of Paul Giamatti, and is undoubtedly one of the highlights of this cinema year!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp