There is no doubting that Paul Giamatti is a great actor. The man can practically pull off anything (well, perhaps not a damsel in distress or a hunk—but hey, you never know). And in this—his first romantic effort of sorts since Sideways—he’s never been better (the folks at the Golden Globes agree, bestowing the man with a Best Actor—Musical or Comedy award earlier this year for his effort here).
Giamatti plays Barney, a chain-smoking, hard-drinking hockey fan and producer of a cheesy TV show. He’s capricious, he’s not exactly the greatest looking guy, but he has a zest for life that is incomparable and that’s perhaps why so many women find him attractive. Spanning 35 years of his life, the movie recalls (in flashbacks) his failed marriages to a spoilt Jewish princess (a stupendously annoying Minnie Driver) and a lovely radio presenter Miriam (Rosamund Pike in her first serious role). Interspersed is his short-lived friendship with best mate Boogie (Scott Speedman), whom Barney believes he accidentally killed after an unexpected argument, and his tender relationship with dad Izzy (Dustin Hoffman); but the film’s real and more affecting focus is Barney’s relationship with Miriam, with whom his life will have enormous rewards and some terrible downs.
Adapted from Mordecai Richler’s 1997 novel of the same name, there’s a lot going on in this 140-minute film—moving from 70s Rome, where Barney is a hedonistic expatriate leading the “artist’s” life, to the quiet streets of modern-day Montreal where he finally grows up. Although a tad convoluted, Giamatti’s brilliant central performance holds it all together. He plays the passage of time about as well as any actor we’ve seen—he gets a little help from old-age make-up, but it’s mostly done with old-fashioned acting; we see how he moves from youthful arrogance into morose complacency with such ease and panache. Kudos also to Pike, who imbues her Miriam with such earthiness and grace we can’t imagine another actress in the role. Never mind that film digresses and meanders during the first hour or so—by the time it pulls sharply into focus later on, the result is nothing less than heartbreaking.