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.
