Unveiling in a Gala presentation at the forthcoming Toronto International Film Festival, “Barney’s Version,” based on the acclaimed book by Mordecai Richler and directed by Richard J. Lewis (making his feature debut), judging by the brief but very light and fun trailer, it could emerge as a hit at the festival.
Boasting a great cast, including Paul Giamatti, Rosamund Pike, Dustin Hoffman, Jake Hoffman (his son), Minnie Driver, (the late) Maury Chaykin and Bruce Greenwood, the story concerns an aging TV producer (Giamatti) who, when accused of a variety of salacious doings — including murder — by a former acquaintance’s autobiography, decides to write his own memoir (hence the title of the film) to set the record straight about his life and loves.
We like what we see in this teaser for the film, and it finds Giamatti in a very familiar and comfortable wheelhouse playing the put-upon schlub. The brief TIFF outline and trailer after the jump: [TIFF Reviews]
Mordecai Richler’s acclaimed novel is brought to life in this picturesque and touching story about Barney Panofsky, an impulsive, romantic, politically incorrect and fearlessly blunt Montreal man who tries to keep the tragic events of his past from overwhelming his hopes for the future.