Barney's Version (2010)

The picaresque and touching story of the politically incorrect, fully lived life of the impulsive, irascible and fearlessly blunt Barney Panofsky.

Director:

Richard J. Lewis

Writers:

Mordecai Richler (novel), Michael Konyves (screenplay)

Stars:

Paul Giamatti, Rosamund Pike, Jake Hoffman

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 18 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Giamatti	...	Barney Panofsky
Macha Grenon	...	Solange
Paul Gross	...	Constable O'Malley of the North
Atom Egoyan	...	O'Malley Director #1
Mark Camacho	...	T / U Productions Executive #1
David Pryde	...	T / U Productions Executive #2
Paula Jean Hixson	...	Bartender at Grumpy's
Mark Addy	...	Detective O'Hearne
Scott Speedman	...	Boogie
Marica Pellegrinelli	...	'The Countess'
Thomas Trabacchi	...	Leo
Clé Bennett	...	Cedric
Rachelle Lefevre	...	Clara 'Chambers' Charnofsky
Domenico Minutoli	...	Judge at Rome Wedding
Massimo Wertmüller	...	Rome Doctor (as Massimo Wertmuller)

Storyline

Take a ride through the life and memories of Barney Panofsky, a hard-drinking, cigar-smoking, foulmouthed 65-year old hockey fanatic and television producer, as he reflects on his life's successes and (numerous) gaffes and failures as the final chapters of his own existence come sharply into focus.

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Plot Keywords:

actress | moaning | topless | female nudity | nudity | 

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Taglines:

The true story of a man's life depends on who tells it.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content

Did You Know?

Trivia

Two of Barney's Canadian wives in the film are played by English actresses.

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Goofs

In Rome many of the road signs are clearly from today. The two small format ones at the corner of Via Condotti and Piazza di Spagna are an example. Also the out of focus no parking signs on the doors of many buildings are clearly of the most recent kind.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Blair: Hello?
Barney Panofsky: Blair, I'd like to speak with my wife.
Blair: Oh, Barney, it's 3:00 in the morning.
Barney Panofsky: Put my wife on the phone.
Blair: She's not your wife and I'm not waking her.
Barney Panofsky: All right. Well, then just ask her what she wants me to do with all these nude photos I have of her. Ah, come to think of it, you actually might want them, if only to see what Miriam looked like in her prime.
Blair: [hangs up]

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Connections

References Chaos and Desire (2002)

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Soundtracks

Turn Me On
Written by John D. Loudermilk (as John Loudermilk)
Performed by Nina Simone
Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment Inc. by arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc.
Licensed by arrangement with Sony/ATV Acuff Rose Music (BMI)

User Reviews

Excellent film

I just saw this wonderful film which is an amazing adaption to Richler's story. The acting of the entire cast is extraordinary with Paul Giamatti, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver and the great Dustin Hoffman giving superlative performances. I sat in a small art-house cinema in a suburb of Tel-Aviv, Israel and the quite large audience (for a Saturday afternoon) enjoyed the film in total silence. You could have heard a pin drop (and that doesn't happen very often!).

I note that some reviewers were offended by the fact that some of the characters were unpleasant Jews. Well, that happens in life and as a Jew I wasn't offended one little bit. Like every other people we have nice and not nice people and I found the film to be very truthful, very funny and also very sad. An exceptional achievement!

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Italy Canada

Language:

English French

Release Date:

18 February 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Barney's Version

Filming Locations:

Austin, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$65,241, 16 January 2011

Gross USA:

$4,439,201

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,106,921

Company Credits

Production Co:

Serendipity Point Films, Fandango, Lyla Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1