Barry Munday (2010)

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

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.

"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.

I am tired of seeing movies featuring men incessantly abused by women with the expectation that people are to accept it as somehow humorous. There was nothing funny about how Barry was constantly insulted and humiliated by just about everyone in the film. What's worse is that Ginger tells her entire family he drugged and raped her. Is that supposed to be funny? Here's a guy walking around with people thinking he's a rapist and he actually becomes enmeshed with a woman that would lie about that kind of thing to obscure the fact that SHE didn't want to take responsibility for having sex with him. Where is the humor here? It denigrates the horror of rape and dilutes a woman's chances of being taken seriously when it does happen.All this movie did is annoy me. There was nothing insightful or interesting or funny about this film. It's unfortunate such a good cast got tangled up in such a bad film.

A Man might argue a story about losing testicles would induce a cringe and protective leg-crossing. However, it's not testicles that make a Man, it's responsibility and maturity. And therein lies the core of this tale; balls, it turns out, are not balls.Barry Munday is a dim bulb, breast-obsessed horndog searching for gratification at every possible turn. One drunken night he impregnates a mousy, bitter woman... and completely forgets until the (celibate?) woman's lawyer delivers a paternity demand. In the interim, an angry father has de-testiclized him with a trumpet. The end of the Munday lineage?The comedy is quite subtle and placed squarely on the shoulders of the stellar cast. Supporting standouts are Jean Smart who genuinely shines and a number of oddballs, including every member (pun intentional) of a genital mutilation support group. Sadly, Cybil Shepherd and Malcolm McDowell are nearly non-entities. Chloe Sevigny (the woman's sister) has a great turn as the family favorite, stripper, female horndog equivalent to Barry.This film belongs to Patrick Wilson, but particularly Judy Greer. In other films her edgy sidekick has been one-note abrasive. Here, in a tour-de-force, she juggles that same edge, bitterness, sexiness without sex appeal and near naked vulnerability. Her performance is an eye opener. Judy Greer fans (I was not really one of them) will rejoice.If a laugh riot filled with obvious penis jokes is your bag (pun again intentional) you will be disappointed. The production designer clutters the background with quite funny visual clues underscoring the issue at hand (and again intentional). For example, hanging in the office of Barry's boss is an antique graphic with large text reading 'Seamen'.Then there's Judy Greer's weird, mysterious, Japanese male neighbor. Despite Ms. Greer's protestations she's a virgin (before Mr. Munday), is the neighbor truly the father?Great comedy creates a tapestry of the human condition between the laughs. "Barry Munday" delivers in spades. While not earth-shattering, the revelations - sibling rivalry, emotional and physical abandonment, true sadness, ego gratification, family denial at any cost, irresponsibility - in this comedic (left-handed) spin of "Taming of the Shrew" presents a beautifully crafted arc for the two main, emotionally damaged characters.With multiple layers, smart writing, fine acting and terrific direction, "Barry Munday" is a wholly satisfying comedy light on the didactic, heavy on the weird, right on target overall.