Budapest Classic Film Marathon 2025: Barney’s Version

Barney’s slightly immoral, rather sweet tale. Other than Paul Giamattin, there are very few actors capable of making a character who falls in love with another woman at his own wedding sympathetic, who is able to switch from one woman to another without attracting the opprobrium of the audience, but instead increasingly winning their support. Since the Jewish diaspora is Barney’s background, inevitably Woody Allen comes to mind. However, Barney is far less hapless than Allen’s character, and the denouement is more melodramatic, more tear-jerking than funny. Barney’s Version is a lovable film but far from a comedy.