Despite the rather unimaginative title, Barry is a hilarious dark comedy and one of the best HBO shows of the last decade. I was drawn to this as I am a big fan of Bill Hader. Seeing him get to play a role that has him get to be not just funny, but also show off his acting chops was something I was very excited about.
How to Barry
You can or stream the film from HBO Max. Click on the button at the end of this review.
The Movie Review
Bill Hader plays the role of a man called Barry Berkman. Barry was a marine who suffers from anxiety and depression and after his service, he found himself working as a hitman. Barry is a very skilled killer and he has been brought into this world by Monroe Fuches, someone he has known since they were kids.
Barry is not happy with his life but does not know what he wants to do or how to get out of what is in right now. He is sent on a job to kill a man who is sleeping with a mobster’s wife. Barry may have a lot of personal issues, but he is one hell of a hitman and if Barry is on the case, you can rest assured that the target will end up dead.
This latest hit that Barry is hired to do sees him have to head to LA and he follows his mark to an acting class. It is in this acting class that Barry’s life changes as he has found his calling, Barry is going to stay in LA, leave his hitman/mobster life behind him, and become an actor!
It is here that Barry meets some colorful new characters. He meets a woman called Sally Reed, Sally has moved to LA with dreams of becoming a star and the two have a rather crazy and dysfunctional relationship. Now, the thing is, Barry, is not trying to quit a regular job! He is a freaking hitman, so how does someone like that walk away and just start living a normal life?
They do not! The hilarity of Barry is that we have this man that has these emotional issues, but he has found an outlet and a way to be happy. However, his past is not willing to let go and he is constantly at battle to keep those in his past back there, but they keep getting involved in his life and causing problems.
This is such a fun show with so many great characters. While it was Bill Hader that drew me to the show, Anthony Carrigan as NoHo Hank ended up being my favorite character. He is the most upbeat mobster that you will ever see and he is gold every time he is on the screen.
I think that Barry is a show that just grows and grows with each season. It is still very funny towards the fourth season, but I think it develops things so much that the show has a ton of heart and substance to it as well. It is a show that has that real “HBO” look, feel, and style about it and I mean that in a very complimentary way. It is only four seasons of eight episodes each so it is not a huge commitment either.
