Review of Barry (2016) by Bradens584 — 20 Dec 2020

When it comes to my personal politics, one of the things at the forefront of my political identity is my admiration for the life and work of Barack Obama. So needless to say, going into his biopic Barry, I was excited.

And I was let down, but also somehow given something better than I could have hoped for. Barry tells the story of a young Barack Obama going through university and the various trials and tribulations of that, while forming his political views.

But if you’re watching this movie BECAUSE it’s Barack Obama, you’re going to be thoroughly let down, as I was. But if you want a well acted, well shot and well written tale of an African American man grappling with prejudice and privilege in the environment of a high end university, then this is the film for you.

There are some really good discussions in this movie about race, where, unlike some films, a reasonable person could take either side, and when a film can pull that off it’s incredibly thought provoking.

However, the movie is paced incredibly poorly, when it ends it feels like it’s the end of the 2nd act, and, though this may be my personal taste shining through, there were portions that were quite uninteresting.

But overall, I would definitely recommend Barry to anyone who’s curious about the story.