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Trust Weighted
Very Good
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83Trust Points
BrianSez's Review
Summary - Very Good 3.5
What makes the life of a gruff, hard-drinking, cigar-smoking, low-tact, blah-looking man so interesting? Great filming, great story, great dialog, and great acting. Barney’s Version was a pleasant surprise indeed. Paul Giamatti plays this type of character to a T – weaving a tale of four life phases: crazy younger years and marriage #1, the improbable marriage #2, and love-of-his life: found and lost. All in the setting of an urban Jewish family with its special-brand of humor. You might think that this longer than normal film would be boring, but to the contrary. Very interesting characters as well as mystery and dramatic twists will hold you to the screen and leads you to an emotional ending.
Acting - Great 4.0
Paul Giamatti hits it out of the park. Nuff said. Add to that great performances by Dustin Hoffman, Minnie Driver, Rosamund Pike, and Scott Speedman. Clearly this is a top-notch cast – working through the drama and humor with ease.