Barry Munday

After a horrible incident at a movie theatre, Barry Munday wakes up in a hospital without his testicles. To make matters worse, a lawyer informs him that a woman claims he is the father of her unborn child.

The concept of the film makes it seem like it's going to be a lot more cruder than it actually is. Barry Munday turns out to be a rather mature film that has immature bits of comedy, which makes it come of as a sweet film with real issues it wants to discuss. Munday looses what many think is a man's manhood, but in reality, it took him losing his testicles to truly become a man. Based on the book Life is a Strange Place, Barry Munday is surprisingly delightful.

Patrick Wilson is perfectly cast as Munday, he nails the character in a role that demands him to be a womanizer, dumb, sweet, innocent and likable. Wilson gives us these little moments where the character will do something, when he isn't the main focus of the scene and it adds more depth to an already well written character. Judy Greer plays Ginger as the family outsider who is difficult to deal with. She comes off a a mature 12 year old. Her parents are played by seasoned actors Cybill Shepherd and Malcolm McDowell, both small roles but they do leave an impression. Jean Smart is the more memorable parent, she plays Carol Munday, Barry's mother. Do I even need to mention Lando Calrissian and the fact that he drives a DeLorean?

There are moments are pure hilarity, like when Munday accidentally calls out his child's name during sex, but there are moments of charm and delight, like the expression on his face when the child is born. His eagerness to be a part of the child's life is admirable, he's lost the one thing that will give him a child and now he discovers that he is possibly the father of one? That's enough of a sign for him to want to be a father that he accepts it without having a paternity test. But then the question arises, is he really the father?

Barry Munday is not a flat out comedy, it's more character driven. Munday, played excellently by Wilson, is a character that sells the film. If you can't connect to him, the movie might falls apart for you. I thought Wilson did an excellent job in this role and it's my favourite performance from him thus far.

The world of quirky indie comedies can be an annoying pool to wade through, speckled with entries that can be too quaint and odd for my liking. But every once in a while they throw out one that's funny in its own little way for specific reasons, and just a bit touching too. I found Barry Munday to be one just like this. Lovable Patrick Wilson, an actor who keeps impressing me in different ways with his naturalistic charm and laid back ease in front of the camera, is hilarious as Barry Munday, a dumbbell of a dude who fancies himself the ladies man and haplessly tries to get himself laid. A lot. When he loses his testicles in an accident involving an underage girl, a trumpet and a movie theatre (I know), he becomes hopelessly depressed. When awkward Ginger Farley (adorable and underrated Judy Greer <3) contacts him claiming that he got her pregnant after a drunken hookup, his life is both upheaved and given ironic purpose as he gets to know her, deal with her 'out there' personality and his own, and be there for the birth of his kid. Wilson faces each scene with the cavalier innocence of a high schooler in a mid thirties man's body and is priceless whenever on screen. Greer is a frumpy little bunny as Ginger, a grouchy, socially awkward chick with brief flashes of feeling that she fiercely guards. Malcolm McDowell and Cybill Shepherd smirk their way through their work as Gingers parents, Jean Smart is loopy fun as Barry's hippie mother, Chloe Sevigny a sly devil as Ginger's slutbomb of a sister, Billy Dee Williams as Mcdowell's colleague, Shea Wigham steals scenes as Barry's moronic buddy, and there's a nice cameo from Shooter Mcgavin himself, Christopher McDonald. It's a low key turn from everyone, but in not going to crazy mode they find the subtle beats of comedy that to me are always more fun than going silly and over the top.

In this comedy directed by Chris D'Arienzo based on the novel Life is a Strange Place by Frank Turner Hollon, Patrick Wilson plays Barry Munday, a suburban wanna-be ladies man, who makes up in the hospital with both of his testicles gone after being attacked in a movie theater for hitting on the wrong girl. To make matters worse, a paternity lawsuit is filed by a woman he can't remember having sex with. Realizing this being his last chance to ever be a father, Barry decides to take on the responsibility on being a good father.

My initial impression of the concept of this film was that this film could either be a feminist revenge fantasy or a raunchy comedy. Thankfully, this film was neither of those, but turned out to be a surprisingly poignant little comedy, with a honest, introspective look at what being a man entails beyond having the body parts, if you will. Given it's a comedy, there were many predictable directions this film could have taken at the expense of Patrick Wilson's character, Barry. Surprisingly, the film avoids the obvious and portrays Barry in a sympathetic and real way. Barry starts off as an irresponsible loafer, whose main interest involve bedding women, who soon after loses his most prized asset and what he feels makes him a man. He goes through a slump until he finds out that someone may actually be carrying his child (from a previous fling he had no recollection of). In a sense, he realizes being a father may be the only thing left that connects him to his manhood.

Barry meets the mother of the child, Ginger Farley (Judy Greer), who isn't particularly a looker, to put it nicely. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Farley, as played by Cybill Shepherd and Malcolm McDowell, seem to agree that Ginger hadn't quite lived up to their expectations, in beauty and otherwise, unlike their model daughter, Jennifer (Chloë Sevigny). There's noticeably a bit of a sibling rivalry between Ginger and Jennifer. As we get to know the characters, we see personal baggage behind both Ginger and Barry which perhaps contributed much in how they viewed themselves and their lifestyle. With Ginger full of bitterness and resentment toward Barry, the relationship between Barry and Ginger is often awkward and comic as Barry is honestly trying to know her better for the first time. Advertisement

Patrick Wilson (Watchmen) is close to perfect in the role of Barry, where he deftly milks the comic aspects of his shallow character as well as his eventual change to a deeper, sympathetic, and more serious side. Judy Greer plays the awkward Ginger Farley with caustic wit and consistency. Cybill Shepherd and Malcolm McDowell in their supporting roles as Ginger's parents, the Farleys, turn in expectedly seasoned performances. Bill Dee Williams (do I even have to mention Empire Strikes Back?) is his usual charming self as Barry's Delorean-driving boss, who happens to be close to the Farleys. Jean Smart is great as the blunt, yet sharp-minded, Carol Munday, Barry's mother.

This independent film marks Chris D' Arienzo's directorial debut and it is a strong one. The comedy feels natural because it's fairly close to life for the most part. The emotions of the characters feel genuine. It is unexpectedly touching. Patrick Wilson does great work in his role as the titular character. It's not what I would call a laugh-a-minute comedy, but a deeper, thoughtful film that happens to have much comedy—usually the type of films I gravitate toward. This film left me with some thoughts long afterwards, which says a lot about a comedy, let alone any film.

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As others have testified, Patrick Wilson's Barry is treated like the worst human alive for reasons not made clear...enough. He's a womanizer? Yeah, and all the women he bedded WANTED it at the time, including Judy Greer's Ginger. I got so sick of her constant berating that I had to yell some unspeakable words at the screen. Sorry, Ginger, but you had it comin'! What makes it all bearable is Wilson's good-ole-guy Barry, almost innocent in his train-wreck approach to women. He seems so sweet and puppy dog up against all the arseholes who use him to channel their inner hatreds against. And Ginger eventually softens up and owns up to her fault and has a pretty good line about the blessings of ugliness. Good enough all around to watch instantly if you have Netflix.

When I first started watching the film I honestly almost turned off it. The movie clearly diddn't have big budget and it went quite sometime without any humor and just seemed raunchy. But once the second act came on I was honestly really engaged and by the end I really liked the film.

Patrick Wilson while hes no Adam Sandler did a great job in his portrayal of middle age guy who goes through traumatizing situation and turns his life around for the better. The rest of cast which had some big names did well too with the source material.

While there couple laughs to be had occasionally the movie succeeds more as a romance story. Sure there plenty of films that are similiar to this one but its still enjoyable as 90 minute watch. Would definitely recommend.