Barry

2016

1 hr. 44 min.

Drama

Biography

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List

80%

46 Reviews

Tomatometer

50%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Barack Obama arrives in New York in the fall of 1981 for his junior year at Columbia University. He struggles to stay connected to his mother, his estranged father and his classmates.

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Netflix

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Critics Consensus

Barry opens a speculative window into a future president's formative college years, offering a flawed yet compelling glimpse of American history in the making.

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meredith w

This look into the early life of U.S. President Barack Obama focuses on his time as one of the few black students at Columbia University NY in the early 80's. Devon Terrell does a decent job showing him as trying to find his place in the world, but the sometimes painstakingly slow, meaning that not a whole lot happens.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/03/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This look into the early life of U.S. President Barack Obama focuses on his time as one of the few black students at Columbia University NY in the early 80's. Devon Terrell does a decent job showing him as trying to find his place in the world, but the sometimes painstakingly slow, meaning that not a whole lot happens.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The movie is a lost and wandering as the main character, Barry. Could have been so much more, but it just felt unfinished or at least, not fully developed. Definitely a Netflix type of movie.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

steve d

Interesting, powerful and well acted, I just wish it wasn't so speculative.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

A decent biopic that is part of American history.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

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Audience Member

Better than I thought. Main actor looked and sounded very similar to Barack.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

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Vikram Gandhi

Director

Devon Terrell

Barack Obama

Anya Taylor-Joy

Charlotte

Ashley Judd

Ann Dunham

Jenna Elfman

Kathy Baughman

Annabelle Attanasio

Sylvia

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Barry: Movie Clip - How Are You, Barry?

1:18

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Barry: Teaser Trailer 1

0:29

Barry: Trailer 1

2:00

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Karl Quinn

The Age (Australia)

Barry pays off in the end. It takes its time, but it gets there.

Aug 3, 2018

Full Review

Tim Cogshell

Alt Film Guide

...thinking about Barry, the 1981-set film about a young Barack Obama as he arrived in New York City to attend Columbia University, I found myself thinking about a young Me in 1981, as I arrived in New York City to attend Columbia University...

Rated: 3.0

Mar 8, 2017

Full Review

Alan Scherstuhl

Village Voice

These moments proceed like comic-book panels, each communicating a single point, with little nuance for us to discover.

Dec 29, 2016

Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Biased and showy hero worship is rightfully absent for a solid biography slice.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 14, 2019

Full Review

Charles Mudede

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

There is nothing presidential in Devon Terrell's very entertaining portrayal of Barry (and he is only called Barry in this film -- Barack Obama is too grand and complicated a name for this easygoing fellow).

Aug 3, 2018

Full Review

José Teodoro

Cinema Scope

With its emphasis on a sense of place and all the ways a young person can feel out of place, Barry isn't a biopic but, rather, a film about race, class, gender, and general tribalism in America.

Oct 12, 2017

Full Review

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Synopsis

Barack Obama arrives in New York in the fall of 1981 for his junior year at Columbia University. He struggles to stay connected to his mother, his estranged father and his classmates.

Director: Vikram Gandhi
Screenwriter: Adam Mansbach
Production Co: Black Bear Pictures
Genre: Drama, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 23, 2017

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