Our take
Former SNL cast member and comedy legend Bill Hader is the writer and main protagonist of the HBO-produced and three-time Emmy-winning series Barry. Part psychological thriller, part dark comedy – one of many new series in the “dramedy” genre – deals with the unlikely premise of a PTSD-ridden low-rent assassin, who, after travelling to LA to execute an actor, decides to dedicate his life to the amateur theatre scene. (Watch out for the always amazing Henry Winkler as the acting class teacher! He was rightly nominated for an Emmy for this performance.)
In typical Bill Hader fashion, this genre-mix is still a lot more comedy than thriller and one cannot help but root for hapless Barry, while he dodges one bullet after the other, as it were, navigating Chechnyan mobsters, the FBI, and his intense acting peers. A lovely, funny, and smart show about a seemingly emotionless guy trying to escape his past.
Streaming arrival
What it won
Spirit Awards
1 nom
The story
A hit man from the Midwest moves to Los Angeles and gets caught up in the city's theatre arts scene.
Elsewhere
"Hader's rubbery mien summons memories of the dolts, doofuses, and oddballs he played on Saturday Night Live, but here he upends expectations, draining some of the warmth and playfulness from his usual manner."
— Troy Patterson
"No Hellraiser film has fully reckoned with the existential weight of Pinhead's lot in life, but Barry comes close."
— Charles Bramesco
The details
Who picked it
Bilal Zouheir is the founder of A Good Movie to Watch. He is based in the US and a member of the Nevada Film Critics Society. He grew up in Morocco, where he learned English from watching movies. Bilal's work with A Good Movie to Watch is focused on offering an alternative to streaming algorithms, which are often used as commercial tools by streaming services.
