Paul Giamatti's never been high on my esteemed actors list. I don't go out of my way to see movies he's in because his characters always come off kind of schlubby to me. With "Barney's Version," however, I think he's finally got the material to give a performance with a real range of human emotion.
The movie's been out for awhile, but it's hitting theaters in Milwaukee starting today with showtimes at The Oriental and AMC Mayfair Mall. It looks cute and also meaningful, and it's a safe bet that the story is as engaging as it presents itself, having been based on an already well-received book.
What will make or break this movie: The supporting cast. With veterans like Dustin Hoffman, Minnie Driver and Mark Addy, the characters are sure to be entertaining, but if they cross over into caricatures (and with Hoffman's wisecracking, young-at-heart dad and Driver's shopaholic Jewish wife, it's a possibility) the movie could lose poignancy. If this is done with purpose to the story and not to excess, "Barney's Version" has real potential.
Chances I'll spend theater money on it: 80 percent
Here's the overview: Based on Mordecai Richler's award-winning novel -- his last and, arguably, best -- "Barney's Version" is the warm, wise and witty story of the politically incorrect life of Barney Panofsky. The film spans three decades and two continents. There is his first wife, Clara, a flame-haired, flagrantly unfaithful free spirit. The "Second Mrs. P." is a wealthy Jewish Princess who shops and talks incessantly. 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. 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. His is a gloriously full life, played out on a grand scale.
Showtimes: onmilwaukee.com/myOMC/movie/show/98400
Contrary to her natural state of being, Renee Lorenz is a total optimist when it comes to Milwaukee. Since beginning her career with OnMilwaukee.com, her occasional forays into the awesomeness that is the Brew City have turned into an overwhelming desire to discover anything and everything that's new, fun or just ... "different."
Expect her random musings to cover both the new and "new-to-her" aspects of Miltown goings-on, in addition to periodically straying completely off-topic, which usually manifests itself in the form of an obscure movie reference.
