BARNEY'S VERSION - Sony Pictures Classics

Short Synopsis
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
(Paul Giamatti), who meets the love of his life (Rosamund Pike) at his wedding - and she is not
the bride. 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 (Rachelle Lefevre), a flame-haired, flagrantly unfaithful free sprit with whom
Barney briefly lives la vie de Boheme in Rome. The ―Second Mrs. P.,‖ (Minnie Driver), 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
(Rosamund Pike), his third wife, the mother of his two children, and his true love. With his
father, Izzy (Dustin Hoffman) 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.
Full Synopsis
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
(Paul Giamatti), who meets the love of his life (Rosamund Pike) at his wedding - and she is not
the bride. 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. The reason that
Barney must tell his story now – or, at least his version of it – is that his sworn enemy has just
published a tell-all book that dredges up the more compromising chapters of Barney's past: the
many, often murky entrepreneurial schemes that lead to his success; the three marriages, all of
them terminated; and, most problematically, the mysterious, as-yet-unsolved disappearance of
Barney‘s best friend, Boogie, a possible murder for which Barney remains the prime suspect.
Since his memory sometimes fails him, and because he has the unfortunate habit of getting blind
drunk at pivotal moments, Barney leads us on this somewhat unsteady walk down memory lane,
not only to explain his life to others, but also to explain it to himself.
Mostly, we learn about Barney by witnessing his three marriages, each representing, like the
rings of a circus, different ―acts‖ of his life. There is his first wife, Clara (Rachelle Lefevre), a
flame-haired, flagrantly unfaithful free spirit with whom Barney briefly lives la vie de Boheme in
Rome. Then, after returning home to Montreal, Barney marries the ―Second Mrs. P.,‖ (Minnie
Driver), a wealthy Jewish Princess who shops and talks incessantly, barely noticing that Barney
is not listening. It is at their lavish wedding that Barney meets, and starts pursuing, Miriam
(Rosamund Pike), the woman who will become his third wife, the mother of his two children,
and the love of his life. Throughout their life together Barney is believed by many – including,
at times, himself – to have murdered Boogie (Scott Speedman), the friend whom he both adores
and envies, who simply vanishes one day, along with Barney‘s youth.
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