Barrymore (2012)
Average Rating: 6.6/10
Reviews Counted: 22
Fresh: 15 | Rotten: 7
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 6.7/10
Critic Reviews: 15
Fresh: 11 | Rotten: 4
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 1,326
Movie Info
Barrymore, set in 1942, follows acclaimed American actor John Barrymore (Christopher Plummer), a member of one of Hollywood's most well-known multi-generational theatrical dynasties. No longer a leading box office star, the film finds Barrymore reckoning with the ravages of his life of excess. He has rented a grand, old theatre to rehearse for a backer's audition to raise money for a revival of his 1920 Broadway triumph in Richard III. It leads him to look back on the highs and lows of his
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Christopher Plummer
John Barrymore -
John Plumpis
Frank
ADVERTISEMENT
All Critics (22) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (15) | Rotten (7) | DVD (1)
The interest is in Plummer himself-who he is, what he can do.
Top CriticMr. Plummer stumbles beautifully, poignantly and often, leering and searching through a haze of memory or, with concern edged with panic, calling for 'a line, a line' much as Richard III calls for a horse.
You wish you could be seeing this performance live, as it's meant to be seen - but lacking that, "Barrymore" on the big screen provides its own thrills.
Plummer is marvelous, flitting between reminiscence and Shakespearean recitation as a gifted artist aware of his own wretchedness.
Plummer's Barrymore shows flashes of glory as he delivers bits and pieces of various Shakespearean roles.
While Plummer acts his heart out, the script becomes one punchline after another.
Plummer is phenomenal, but be warned: you really have to like one-person shows in order to enjoy this 84-minute tour de force.
In spite of creating a CGI world around Plummer, much is lost in this translation, making an impressive performance from him seem inert.
As an acting masterclass, it's educational and entertaining.
Christopher Plummer works hard to give us his idea of John Barrymore in this record of a theatrical tour-de-force, which is more dramatically florid than biographically enlightening.
Director Erik Canuel fails to deliver us from the inevitable hermeticism of the material.
Erik Canuel, who directed and adapted the work, employs a host of cinematic techniques to enhance Plummer's spell-binding turn as a crotchety has-been who, in 1942, attempts to revive his career by playing Richard III.
In the hands of an actor of such calibre as Plummer, it is riveting stuff. And often hilarious, risqué, even coarse on occasion
Audience Reviews for Barrymore
Super Reviewer
-
- John Barrymore: What's the line?! What's the line?!
-
- John Barrymore: I don't have to tell you that divorces cost more than marriages... But god damn it they're worth it!
Discussion Forum
There are no discussion threads for Barrymore yet.
What's Hot On RT
Pictures from a zombie nation
Woody Allen in San Francisco
See the Desolation of Smaug trailer!
Where does This Is the End rank?
Latest News on Barrymore
November 16, 2012:
Critics Consensus: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 Is a Decent Send-OffThis week at the multiplex, we've got "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2," starring Kristen...
Fresh Links
Featured
Movie: ID: 771252553 Title: Barrymore Release Date: 2012-11-15 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 6 Status: 1
The Looks of Johnny Depp
To celebrate the star's birthday, BuzzSugar looks at the many faces of Johnny Depp.
10 Egregious Product Placements
Rolling Stone wonders if The Internship goes too far... then provides 10 examples of movies that did.
Horror Movie Mistakes
Moviefone offers up 8 of the most obvious glaring errors in popular fright flicks.
10 Bad Movies That Look Great
Sometimes even terrible movies can be beautiful; here are 10 of them, from HitFix.
50 Most Classic Movie Moms
In celebration of Mother's Day, TimeOut offers up 50 iconic matriarchs from the big screen.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
Featured on RT
- Video Interviews with Cast & Crew of Monsters University 0
- Digital Multiplex: 21 & Over, Quartet, and More 1
- RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Jack the Giant Slayer and Quartet 21
- Box Office Guru Wrapup: Man of Steel Sets June Record 101
- Weekly Ketchup: Man of Steel Sequel In the Works 188
- Five Favorite Films with Joss Whedon 125
- Bonus Footage of the Cast & Crew of Man of Steel 1
Top Headlines
