Obama biopic 'Barry' on Netflix, after praise for 'Southside with You'

Netflix has announced a release date and released a trailer for the upcoming biopic “Barry,” the newest film to depict the early days of President Obama. 

“Barry” stars Devon Terrell as Mr. Obama, with the film telling the story of the president’s time at Columbia University. The movie co-stars Ashley Judd, Jenna Elfman, and Jeremy Sample.

The film is set to debut on Netflix on Dec. 16, the newest movie to be released by the streaming service following such efforts as the drama “Beasts of No Nation,” Adam Sandler comedies such as “The Ridiculous 6,” and the Christopher Guest film “Mascots.” 

Obama’s life before his presidency was recently adapted for another movie: the film “Southside with You,” which stars Parker Sawyers as Obama and Tika Sumpter as first lady Michelle Obama. The movie depicted the couple’s first date when the two were living in Chicago, with the duo seeing “Do the Right Thing” and going for ice cream. The film co-stars Vanessa Bell Calloway, Phillip Edward Van Lear, and Taylar Fondren. 

"Barry" will have an impressive act to follow, as the film "Southside" was mostly well-received by critics, with Jake Coyle of the Associated Press calling it “nuanced and charming.”

The film is “a sunny, strolling odyssey through African-American life in 1989,” as the director and cast “compress into a single day something broader and more meaningful than White House trivia,” Mr. Coyle wrote.

“But the film is essentially devoid of politics,” he noted. “Its tenderness, warmth, and modesty (it's a mere 84 minutes long) is an all-the-more-welcome change of pace in this election year.”

Meanwhile, The New York Times named it one of “seven indie films you need to know about” at the end of this past summer, a list of “indie features that didn’t make a splash but are hits nonetheless.”