Very depressing, but also interesting. Main problem is that it only really has one character, and he's not that compelling.

I'm a bit torn with this one, cause on one hand it tells it's story in a very smooth and direct manner withouth much fuzz, but on the other hand it sometimes ignores some important things which could have added greatly to the overall storyline and even though Paul Giamatti gives a great performance I think casting someone else would have given a better result as I never believed in him as Barney... Still though, the topic which this movie touches upon always moves me!

I have not read the book so I can't judge the quality of the source material. But the characters in this film adaptation feel so underwritten that it left me disinterested in how things turned out for them. Thankfully, Giamatti makes things tolerable. He almost makes you forget the aimless, uninspired storytelling. Almost.

a great cast of stars a great movie great plot 10 out of 10

Barney's Version weaves effortlessly between the beautiful (the first hour of the film is quite good) and the trite, leaving the audience with a good, but never great, Rothesque tale of white male existentialism.

#11#, reviews, story, (P Giamatti)

Lewis' director lacks consistency of tone, and the script seems a little shapeless but the acting--particularly Giamatti's--is fine. As a matter of fact, he was so charming that it took my until the next day to realize what a flawed human being his character actually was. Hoffman--as Barney's policeman dad--gives one of his best supporting performances.

not just bad, depressing, SUCKED!

I really liked this film. Paul Giamatti truly carries this film and Hoffman and Pike add in some nice performances. Lewis is able to craft a film that very much feels like the story of a real mans life. There is ups and downs, happiness and sadness, life and death, love and betrayal, and at the center of it all is Giamatti's character, which he plays t o a t. Flawed though he may be, Barney is able to serve as a caricature of a real person, which I believe to be the most intriguing part.

The script has plenty of funny and sad moments. Paul Giamatti is excellent in the lead role, he is great in this part. Minnie Driver, Dustin Hoffman and Rosamund Pike all give very good performances in this film. Definitely check out this great drama.

Engaging enough for the first two thirds, but let down by the mawkish last act. Giamatti is good as usual, and Hoffman is a lot of fun. I can't help feeling Barney could have been more cantankerous and outrageous.

Some tired clichés prevail as the film stays one step ahead of its audience (as if it knows where it's headed before it even gets there) and the Boogie subplot was highly unnecessary since a bittersweet love story lies at its foundation. Giamatti's performance is also noteworthy, what an amazing actor that guy is. Good if blatantly uneven.

Utterly unfocused. There's no red thread, apart from this uninteresting Barney guy appears in every scene. The light tone and the protagonist's beard made me assume it was a comedy, but it wasn't any funny. Then I assumed it was a drama, but if there was any meaningful drama it passed me by. Then I assumed is was a Forrest Gump-/Big Fish-like fictional biography that gathers its threads to some sort of point. BUT THERE WAS NO POINT. It lasted 2.5 hours and then it ended. I want my time back.

It lugs around old moral baggage but misses a profound confrontation with the specter of Jewish guilt.

"Barney's Version's inconsistent conception of its protagonist is exacerbated by a larger unevenness of tone." - Nick Schager

Very good film, pretty touching and with a couple of "oh shit" moments. Funny, compassionate and sad at the same time.

P.Giamatti's acting and R.Pike's hotness are two sufficient reasons to see it.

Bittersweet but too sentimental in the second hour, it could be awesome, but Lewis makes us want that Izzy (Dustin Hoffman) shows up again and again, and we just don't want to follow Barney's story anymore. Well, I guess there is something wrong with a movie that the best thing is a supporting character.

A tedious, pointless and generally unenjoyable story.

For a character-centered film, the protagonist is way too uninteresting and lacking charisma not to get bored with him fast. It is hard to define genre of this film, bitter comedy, perhaps. Either way, this film doesn't work.

"Since Barney's Version is nothing if not a character study, Giamatti is the surly, sarcastic selling point."

At the heart of this movie is various quality performances. Without having the illusion it's heading anywhere specific, I enjoyed it for the most of it's running time. Even the uneven tone becomes a habit as it goes on. Giamatti coupled with subtlety of Pike is a sight. Made me remember how great Hoffman was/is.

Loved it, literally every second. Paul Giamatti! Paul fucking Giamatti!!

Giamatti pulls tail whole galaxies out of his league for two hours. Engaging, but also sort of bland and uninspired all around. Pike is lovely, though, and it was a fairly pleasant couple of hours.

Telling a story covering the progression of a life over several decades can be challenging to fit into a feature film. Often, filmmakers simply do not have the time to develop traits sufficiently for the audience to invest and appreciate the importance of the characters' past. I think it's pulled off very well in this movie. I felt like I got to know Barney, and Giamatti becomes that guy. What a great performance. Hoffman, who's been uneven lately, is amazing, too: very funny, effortlessly cool.