It’s what’s missing that makes them complete.

Genre: Comedy
Role: Jennifer Farley
Director: Chris D’Arienzo
Co-Stars: Patrick Wilson, Judy Greer, Malcolm McDowell, Cybill Shepherd, Missi Pyle, Billy Dee Williams, Emily Procter
Release Date: U.S., October 1 2010 (theatrical; limited)
MPAA Motion Picture Rating: R

• Overview
• Memorable Jennifer Quotations
• Barry Munday Movie Trivia
• Critical Reception
• Barry Munday Online

More photos in our Barry Munday gallery!

Barry Munday (Wilson), an awkward but endearing wannabe ladies man, wakes up in a hospital one day only to discover a freak accident has removed his “family jewels.” To make matters worse, he is then faced with a paternity lawsuit from a certain Ginger Farley (Greer), an irritable and unpleasant woman Barry doesn’t even remember having had sex with. Will Barry step up to the plate?

Chloë Sevigny portrays Jennifer Farley, Ginger’s outgoing and adventurous sister (with nymphomaniac tendencies) and the obvious family favorite.

“So you’re Barry the Rapist.”

[Mrs. Farley: "Our Jennifer brings fellas home all the time."]
“I’m a slut.”

[describing Barry's accident at the dinner table] “Anyway, they never caught the guy, but personally I think Barry was, uh, making time with another fella’s lady. [...] Or scanning on some little girl and Daddy caught him. Pervert.”
[Barry: "Alright, CHECK IT! Ten o'clock on a Saturday night, I saw Jennifer as the 'feature dancer' at a nudie club called the Beaver Tree! HA!"]

“You know, we’ve never had much time alone together, Barry.”
[Barry: Why are you doing this?"]
“Just don’t worry…”
[pushing Jennifer away] [Barry: "What are you doing?"]
“Relax, I’m a professional, remember?”
[Barry: "I knew it! That was you at the Beaver Tree!"]

“Look, I found him here watching boobs. Pervert.”

• Barry Munday premiered March 13, 2010 at the SxSW Festival, after which the film landed a U.S. distribution deal with Magnolia Pictures. After a few months’ stint on Amazon.com, On Demand and Vudu, the film finally premiered in theaters in select U.S. cities on October 1, before being released on DVD and Blu-Ray December 7.

Despite an initial positive reaction at the SxSW Festival in March 2010, Barry Munday has since received rather mixed critical reviews, some commending the film for its laughs, honesty and heartfelt story, others finding it annoying in its deliberate quirkiness and “anything but funny”. Reviews on the film are generally scarce, however, and therefore the available reviews may not be an accurate reflection of the film.

• Rating > Internet Movie Database: 6.1/10 (890 user votes counted)
• Rating > MetaCritic: 28/100 metascore, “Generally unfavorable reviews” (professional)
• Rating > Rotten Tomatoes: 48% positive reviews, “Rotten” (professional)

Extracts from professional reviews:

“Barry Munday is one of those movies where all of the characters creep you out, dress in ridiculous outfits, act in ways no normal person would act, and stand around mugging for the camera. Know why they do that? Because the filmmakers were bankrupt for ideas. Several films have fallen prey to this affliction in the past and spotting one is as simple as using one’s brain to think logically. If the material isn’t funny, then the actors have to strut around wearing goofy mustaches and shag carpet dresses. If the inherent ideas are funny on their own, then there is no need for otherwise respectable actors to pose as utter buffoons. Barry Munday is full of buffoons.”
- Jason McKiernan, Film Critic

“From Billy Dee Williams as a Delorean driving insurance company president to a track-suit wearing Malcolm McDowell, the film has a lot of quirks. Luckily, it trades schmaltz for honest and receives heaps of laughs as its reward. [...] The anchor of it all is Patrick Wilson, whose performance is a high mark in an already impressive career. Wilson presents Munday as the office schmuck, then slowly bends him and molds him into a new man over the movie’s runtime. He’s careful though, to ensure that we always see glimpses of the man Barry started out as, so as to keep it all honest. Judy Greer is his comedic equal in this movie, with a teased-hair bout of craziness that only she can do. Her Ginger is neurotic, socially guarded and ultimately very sweet. Even through their warts, we can see characters we know and like, making it easy to root for them down the line.”
- Neil Miller, Film School Rejects

“Director Chris D’Arienzo has made a funny and sometimes bold romantic comedy that strays away from the norm. While there are moments the pacing feels off and it drags a bit slower than it should, it is only a minor complaint. This is an original work that offers a couple of terrific performances from Wilson and Greer, who are nearly unrecognizable in their roles. Barry Munday is strange and offbeat, and even a little honest and heartfelt.”
- JimmyO, I Am Rogue

Personal Thoughts

Sandra: I’ve read a lot of reviews on Barry Munday both before and after seeing it, and I just don’t know what to think of this one. Did find it “laugh-out-loud funny”? No. But it did make me smile in a lot of unexpected places, and there’s just something very sweet and sincere about the way writer-director D’Arienzo tells his story, predictable though it may be. Also, Patrick Wilson is simply terrific in the title role. If you’re expecting a zinger-packed crazy comedy (like I did), Barry Munday will let you down, but it’s still pretty well suited for a casual movie night with your friends (the availability of beer would be critical here, though).

As Jennifer, Chloë Sevigny is pretty solid in Barry Munday. Since this was her first role in a proper comedy, I had rather expected a comedic role, but Jennifer is in fact one of the few characters in the film who isn’t particularly funny nor has a lot of good lines to say. It’s a okay role in an okay film, but not particularly memorable.

Below are some Barry Munday-related links that may be of interest to you.

• Barry Munday official site
• Barry Munday TFL-approved fanlisting
• Barry Munday TFL-approved Jennifer character fanlisting
• Barry Munday on IMDb.com
• Barry Munday on RottenTomatoes.com
• Barry Munday on Wikipedia.org

• Chris D’Arienzo on IMDb.com
• Chris D’Arienzo on Wikipedia.org