Review: Barry

Barry starts off as a hilarious comedy, meanders into dark comedy, becomes darker–you could call it a dark dark comedy–and climaxes as an emotionally intellectual art piece.

Bill Hader has transcended his comedian self and made a name for himself as a well-rounded artist with this production. It's no surprise because his career as a comedian on SNL could only reach the heights it did because he has a natural talent for acting and knowing the whole wide field of human emotion, thought, and circumstance. In Barry he took his talent and used it to tell a most tragic story, a tragedy that would make Greek playwrights' hearts swell with pride!

Season 1 Poster

The story follows a unique blend of humor and tragedy. It goes beyond the familiar mix used in dark comedies. Whereas a traditional dark comedy is about the humor of tragedy, this series can best be describe as a dark comedy with brief accents of pure tragedy and pure comedy. This can create a disjointed sensation in the audience, an impression of inconsistency in storytelling.

However, this is the only downside of the series. And, all told, the story-telling, setting, characters, acting, directing, are so superb, that Barry easily becomes bingeable material.

Stephen Root, a personal favorite of mine since NewsRadio, where he plays another unhinged but paternal mentor, makes this his best performance yet. Root's voice is perfectly matched to his character, and he pulls out all the stops in seasons 3 and 4. In the former he reveals a side I've never seen of him, a dramatic actor with seriousness, depth, and complexity. In the final season he combines his comedic and dramatic skills into a perfect satire of the criminal persona.

Sarah Goldberg, new to me, also shines brightest in the final season. And here you get another defining feature of the series: it seems like it was a showcase of the artistic skills of these actors. Everyone in this production has range. Root and Hader being comedians at their core, have proven without a doubt they have what it takes to be full-range dramatic actors. Goldberg begins as a satire of some archetype, but towards the end of the series becomes a vessel of tragedy and cries tears so sincere you lose yourself in sympathy.

The series earns additional merit by being accessible to a wide audience. Although there is a lot of violence, it's usually theatrical and very choreographed. This makes the series a good option for discussing controversial topics.

Barry is a unique story-telling experience that will soon be added to satirical classics like Full Metal Jacket, and Get Shorty (2017).