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Barney's Version
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Metascore
67 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 33 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 40 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Summary: Barney's Version is the story of Barney Panofsky, a seemingly ordinary man who lives an extraordinary life. A candid confessional, told from Barney‘s point of view, the film spans three decades and two continents, taking us through the different acts of his unusual history. There is his first wife, Clara, a flame-haired, flagrantly unfaithful free sprit with whom Barney briefly lives la vie de Boheme in Rome. The Second Mrs. P. is a wealthy Jewish Princess who shops and talks incessantly, barely noticing that Barney is not listening. And it is at their lavish wedding that Barney meets, and starts pursuing, Miriam, his third wife, the mother of his two children, and his true love. With his father, Izzy as his sidekick, Barney takes us through the many highs, and a few too many lows, of his long and colorful life. Not only does Barney turn out to be a true romantic, he is also capable of all kinds of sneaky acts of gallantry, generosity, and goodness when we – and he – least expect it. His is a gloriously full life, played out on a grand scale. And, at its center stands an unlikely hero – the unforgettable Barney Panofsky.(Sony Picture Classics) … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 33
  3. Negative: 1 out of 33
  1. New Orleans Times-Picayune
    Reviewed by: Mike Scott
    Feb 18, 2011
    88
    That character flaw makes for some great shock-fueled laughs in Lewis' film -- Giamatti does full-on comic rage as well as anyone.
  2. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: David Fear
    Dec 6, 2010
    60
    Even 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.
  3. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    Dec 6, 2010
    38
    A 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

See all 33 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 15
  3. Negative: 3 out of 15
  1. DMacey15
    10
    What a wonderful film! A beautiful motion picture. I love Paul Giamatti, I'll see anything with him. He's one the finest actors on the planet. He gives an Oscar deserving performance. The film's beginning/middle/end never drifts. The film is perfectly paced. The cast was perfect for the film. Whoever did the casting got it spot on. Dustin Hoffman & Rosamund Pike are fantastic. Go see this masterpiece, it's worth your 8 bucks.… Expand
    • 1 of 2 users said yes
  2. Luisjoao33
    4
    A good try, but in a lot of parts of the movie I just felt buring, That movie makes me remember the Italian movie style wich I am not a fan, but in general I thiks it was regular… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. NoahCoward
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This movie stinks! It's one of those movies with a pretty good cast but you never heard of it so you roll the dice and start watching and by the end you realize that you've wasted 127 minutes of your life. Blend together Mr. Hollands Opus, The Notebook, Goodbye Columbus, and The Apprenticeship of Dudey Kravitz and you end up with this un-entertaining hodge podge. The acting is terrible and the plot doesn't really make sense. On top of that, this is one of those movies that covers several decades so the actors wear stupid makeup and wigs that make them older and younger but the effect is unconfusing and at times laughable. Some characters age, others do not, huh? Dustin Hoffman stays about the same throughout, even when he's dead at the end. The whole murder subplot makes no sense. At the end they throw in some gratuitous Alzheimer stuff for no apparent reason. Giamatti's a fine actor but hot here. Hoffman as Barney's father is ridiculous, he look's younger than his son. It's ridiculous that Miriam leave Barney because of one stupid mistake except that's it's even more preposterous that she would ever be with him in the first place.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 15 User Reviews

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