The Nine Lives of Marion Barry (2009) (TV)

Directors:

Dana Flor
Toby Oppenheimer

Release Date:

10 August 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

Many people remember Marion Barry as the philandering drug-addled mayor of the nation's capital. He's the poster boy for corruption...

Plot Keywords:

Mayor | Politician | Character Name In Title

Cast

Marion Barry Jr.	...	Himself
Max Berry	...	Himself
Marshall Brown	...	Himself
Elona Evans-McNeill	...	Herself
Mark Feldstein	...	Himself
Carroll Harvey	...	Himself
Jesse Jackson	...	Himself
Bruce Johnson	...	Himself
Jim Vance	...	Himself

Also Known As:

Marion Barry: Not Down for the Count (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

USA:87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Cactus Three

Nine may not be enough

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This even-handed documentary may make you reconsider your opinion of Washington, DC, politician Marion Barry. Barry, a civil rights movement veteran with a healthy ego and an eye for the ladies, served four tumultuous terms as mayor of Washington and is now in his second term as council representative for the city's impoverished 8th Ward. His political career began in triumph as the white southerners who had traditionally controlled city patronage and purse-strings were swept into the dustbin of history; by the time of Barry's fourth mayoral term, however, the southerners regained control thanks to the GOP resurgence of the late 1990s--and to the mayor's taste for sex, drugs, and alcohol. There's no doubt that Barry did sterling work in the city prior to his first term in office, and no doubt that he was targeted and set-up by a zealous federal prosecutor who also happened to be a Republican. The film unfortunately skimps on the details of what he actually accomplished as mayor, but it's easy to understand why Barry became a neighborhood hero: he's the local lad who made good and overcame his own personal demons. Is that enough to warrant his continued presence on the city council? Barry's vigorous opposition to gay marriage (not discussed in this film) opens him up to charges of hypocrisy, and would certainly be the last straw for me. But it's also clear that, though now more of a follower than a leader, Barry remains a man of the people. Like him or not, he reflects the hopes and aspirations of his constituents.