Barry Munday

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.

Barry Munday (Patrick Wilson) is a lascivious womanizer slacker. He's a real boob man. He hits on a young girl at the movie theater and her dad smashes his balls with a trumpet. He wakes up in the hospital with his testicles removed. His girlfriend returns and breaks up. He gets a paternity suit from Ginger Farley (Judy Greer). Despite not remembering the night, he accepts responsibility. He starts to act differently. Carol (Jean Smart) is Barry's single mother. He doesn't know his father. Ginger has her parents (Malcolm McDowell, Cybill Shepherd) and her outgoing sister Jennifer Farley (Chloë Sevigny).

It's a wacky premise similar to Knocked Up although castration is no manwaxing. The characters are less likable. The comedy is unfunny because of that. There is a sad aura around the whole thing. This has a cast of great comedic actors but it's missing the comedic writing. Chris D'Arienzo is no Judd Apatow.

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.

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.

"Barry Munday" is the type of comedy that will give you a certain inner warmth, but not necessarily make you laugh out loud. And in a way it is nice with a comedy like that, but I was missing on more funny moments throughout the movie. It is the sort of movie that makes you appreciate life and all its unpredictable moments.

The cast in "Barry Munday" is quite good. And I must say that the movie is carried by Patrick Wilson (playing Barry Munday) as a very kind, good-hearted and lovable person. And there were also some pretty good names on the supporting roles list, such as Malcolm McDonald, Billy Dee Williams, Cybill Shepherd and Colin Hanks.

I found the movie to be surprising in the way that it shows that despite life throws you a curve ball, you can still manage to make something good out of the situation you are in. Keep your head up high and be positive, and that is a good morale for the movie.

The story is nicely acted out on the screen and you want to see what happens next. Sure the story is not a fast-paced one, but it gets you to where it needs to be in its own manner and pace.

However, if you are planning a night of fun and laughter, "Barry Munday" might not be the best of choices. That being said, this is not a bad movie at all. It is nice in its own way. "Barry Munday" is a movie that should be watched by all who appreciate life and the joy of living.