How sad is this?

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The main character was utterly loathsome. I didn't want to spend an hour watching him, let alone an overly-long 2 1/4 hours. There were no sympathetic characters; I hated the Paul Giamatti (an actor I hate in everything he does) character and hated all of the others for not hating him.Dustin Hoffman redeemed this movie, his moments in it were great. But there was absolutely nothing else.The movie was largely a plot less character study of an obnoxious character. The only real plot element was the death of the friend, Boogie. I'm not going to give away the way this element of plot is resolved, but I didn't get the point at all when I saw the movie, only when I googled it did I realize that the one scene with the airplane was resolving this plot element. Maybe if I'd read the novel it would have been more clear.Why are we supposed to love hateful destructive characters? I don't, and never have.

I like Paul Giamatti as an actor but he seemed a little out of place here. His character, Barney, seems to be some kind of sexaholic and we follow him as he flits uncontrollably from one woman to another to another. Luckily the women are fairly awful people as well so you don't have to feel sorry for them either. As other people have pointed out, it's a hell of a stretch to imagine any of those women being interested in him in reality so that kind of makes the film ridiculous from the get-go. It's clear he's a selfish slave to his compulsions but without any exploration as to why, or any struggle to control it, it seems a pointless meandering around a stranger's love life. I didn't see the point. I felt no real connection with him so when bad things happened to him I simply didn't care - in fact it's one of the rare occasions where I was cheering for the other guys instead. It tries to go all lovey-dovey and sentimental in a couple of places but it doesn't work because we've already witnessed him or his lovers being unconscionable tarts in the rest of the film. There were some good actors, good locations and good elements for a story here but the "story" didn't do it justice. I think they could've used the turn of events towards the end to much better effect to lift the film out of the doldrums, but instead it was wasted. A thoroughly pointless film as far as I'm concerned.

In Montreal, the bitter and unpleasant television producer Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti) recalls his marriages. In 1974, in Rome, his unbalanced girlfriend Clara 'Chambers' Charnofsky (Rachelle Lefevre) gets pregnant and Barney marries her. On the delivery, he learns that the stillborn baby is not his and he leaves Clara that commits suicide later. Then his uncle invites Barney to move to Montreal to work as television producer. In 1975, Barney gets married with his second wife (Minnie Driver), the daughter of a wealthy Jewish couple. During the wedding party, Barney is infatuated by the guest Miriam Grant (Rosamund Pike). Miriam does not believe in love at the first sight and rejects the flowers and gifts that Barney sends to her in New York. One day, Barney surprises his best friend Boogie (Scott Speedman) shagging his wife and they divorce.He travels to New York to meet Miriam; they return to Montreal, get married and have two children. After many years living happily together, Miriam meets the radio producer Blair (Bruce Greenwood) in their house by the lake and Barney, who drinks a lot and smokes cigars, feels jealous. Blair offers an opportunity to Miriam in New York and Barney gets drunken and has one night stand with a former actress, destroying their marriage. Later Barney shows signs of dementia, loosing his memory. But he never forgets his beloved Miriam. "Barney's Version" is a dramatic comedy about a man called Barney and his three wives. Barney is a non-charismatic character but the performances are top-notch and watching this film is worthwhile. Barney's ability to mess up his relationships is impressive. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "A Minha Versão do Amor" ("My Version of Love")

The bit of Montreal flavour this movie captures and uses makes this local movie lover happy; the bias I knew I could not hide as a fan of Giamatti, won't, I hope, diminish the many good things that can be said of the work. If the predominant Leonard Cohen tunes of the soundtrack (and other artists I like), doesn't move you and if the Michael Konyves' brilliant adaptation of Mordecai Richler's novel hasn't made you a believer in his work, the performance by Giamatti certainly will.This is the second time I read a review by David Ferguson (from Texas), whose depiction, opinion and overall appreciation for the movie I share, except his early comment about Rosemund Pike which I don't totally share; thus again I must try not to plagiarize, so I'll try to cover stuff he doesn't. Read his review. This character development work has garnished praise and ratings that speak for themselves, yet I encourage everyone to voice them in reviews of your own anyway.Giamatti, a character actor, respected and loved by his peers, has, over the years, seen a steady growth of his very loyal fan base. His supporting role in the 2000 movie Duets (where, in my opinion, he steals the show) was when he caught my attention; the 2004 Sideways brought him the wider attention he deserves. He has shown he can play something other than a mope, hapless or disconnected lovable flawed character he so brilliant depicts in the movies he's most loved for, like Harvey Pekar in the 2003 American Splendor, when he did something in the unusual genre of the 2007 Shoot 'Em Up. Whether you like his performances or dislike them, tells me want kind of movie lover you are.Dustin Hoffman playing a smaller supporting role, with the professionalism you expect, says something about this project; many celebrated Canadian directors and writers wanted and got in on this film as well, in cameos no less, reaffirming this point. Read interviews and sorts about the making of this movie; you will be convinced to see it if you haven't. It is funny because of its rich in wit dialogue, and it is also very sad because of the story told with outstanding performance. It will hold a place among my all time favourites for the foreseeable future.