Paulie (1998)
Director: John Roberts Cast: Gena Rowlands, Tony Shalhoub, Cheech Marin, Bruce Davison, Jay Mohr, Buddy Hackett Screenplay: Laurie Craig Producers: Runtime: 92 min. US Distribution: DreamWorks Rated PG: mild language By Nathaniel R. Atcheson (nate@pyramid.net)
It's sickening, really, how adorable the parrot Paulie is in this film. I find the relentlessly cute images of the green, talky bird vivid in my memory (well, it's only been a couple of days since I saw it). I had no intentions of seeing Paulie; I didn't even know it existed until just a few days ago. Going into the theater, I had no idea what it was about, but I felt a little out of place with the hundreds of children and parents around me. Early into the picture, I found out that it's about a talking parrot named Paulie, who is adopted by a little girl named Marie.
Well, Paulie starts to talk to Marie, who has a speech problem herself. When her parents think that Paulie is stifling her (she isn't making any other friends), they pawn the poor bird and move to Los Angeles. Paulie is adopted by a lady named Ivy (Gena Rowlands), who vows to help Paulie find Marie. Paulie's adventure takes him many places and puts him in several unusual situations, until, finally, he is discovered by scientists who find his speech capabilities amazing (who wouldn't?).
When Paulie refuses to cooperate, he is caged up and locked in the basement of the university, where he is found by a friendly Russian janitor named Misha (Tony Shalhoub). Just to be fair to the film, I should note that it's actually told in flashback: the film opens with Misha finding Paulie; Paulie then explains his sorted past to the janitor. I just thought you should know that.
Most of the characters in the film don't find it very strange that the bird speaks perfect English, and that it can apparently comprehend everything with human-like capabilities. Only the scientists are truly amazed, and even they do very little about it (and end up banishing the bird to a basement, where it talks and talks forever, all night long, and all day . . . every day . . .). What I thought interesting is that, as a viewer, I didn't even realize the abnormality of the situation until almost an hour into the film. Suddenly, for no particular reason, I said to myself, "Birds don't talk to people like this." I give the makers credit for sufficiently pulling my attention away from the gimmick.
Of course, what makes Paulie such a severely enjoyable film is the bird himself. The special effects, to begin with, are seamless, and provide a perfect illusion of a speaking bird (no explanation of how a bird forms words without lips is given, but I'll overlook that). The bird ranks right up there with Babe in the cuteness factor; in the scenes early on, when Marie places a sorcerer's hat on Paulie's head, or when Paulie evades the vicious cat while spitting off some truly funny quips, the bird is so incessantly lovable that I couldn't help but smile through the entire film.
What I really like, though, is Paulie's personality; this is due, in part, to Jay Mohr's exceptional voice work, and also to Laurie Craig's thoughtful script. The bird is funny, and nice, and therefore works perfectly as a main character for a feature-length film. The fine supporting work by Gena Rowlands, Tony Shalhoub, and Cheech Marin give Paulie a boost in its high-quality atmosphere.
Most amazing, however, is that parents are going to be equally enthralled in Paulie as their kids. From start to finish, this film provides lively entertainment, in addition a few good kid-oriented lessons. But don't see it for the lessons--see it for this bird, this talking parrot that is quite possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen in my entire life, ever.
*** out of **** (7/10, B)
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Nathaniel R. Atcheson
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