Short reviews:'Barney's Version,''A Somewhat Gentle Man,''Plastic Planet'

Barney's Version****
A TV producer continually messes up his life. WithPaul Giamatti,Dustin Hoffman,Rosamund Pike. At Lincoln Plaza andUnion Square(2:13). R: Language, sexuality.

Director Richard J. Lewis' adaptation ofMordecai Richler's 1997 source novel -- which opened briefly in December for awards consideration -- recalls the luxurious literary adaptations of the 1970s and '80s, rife with comic and tragic set pieces.

Barney Panofsky(Paul Giamatti), first glimpsed late in life, is burdened by stresses of his past: He's haunted by the death of his best friend (Scott Speedman) three decades earlier, is still in love with one of his ex-wives and wishes he could escape his memories, good and bad. By the time Barney gets one final, heartbreaking chance to screw things up, this rich, satisfying film has you hooked.

Giamatti has never been better, and Dustin Hoffman (in a sweet, poignant turn as Barney's gruff policeman dad),Minnie Driver(as Barney's vulgarian second wife) and a luminous Rosamund Pike (as Miriam, the love of Barney's life) provide memorable support. Don't let this one get away.Joe Neumaier

A Somewhat Gentle Man  ***
Black comedy about a reformed killer. At the IFC (1:43). NR: Sex, nudity. In Norwegian with subtitles.

Hans Petter Moland's dry Scandinavian wit is just amusing enough to keep us interested in this dramedy. The same is true forStellan Skarsgard's turn as Ulrik, the world's most inert assassin.

Just out of jail, Ulrik wants nothing more than a relationship with his estranged son, a decent job and maybe a nice girlfriend. Life seems to have other plans.

Skarsgard can do much more than is required -- or even allowed -- in this limited template. But by the time Ulrik's modest adventures wind down, you'll realize that it takes a strong actor to play such a passive man.Elizabeth Weitzman

Plastic Planet ***
Documentary on toxic effects of plastic. At Cinema Village (1:35). NR. In English, German, Italian and Dutch with subtitles.

Look around you, right now. How many plastic items are sitting in arm's reach? Chances are the answer is higher than you think, and after watchingWerner Boote's alarming documentary, higher than you'll want.

Boote's ambitious goals include finding out how plastics are made and how they're messing with our bodies and
our planet. Some of his globetrotting feels ill-defined, and his research is unnerving, to say the least. But you might want to hear him out before grabbing another water bottle. E.W.

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