PLANET SICK-BOY: http://www.sick-boy.com
Put out a movie with a talking parrot and my ass will be at the theater in no time. What kind of entertainment can top that? While you stumble about for a response, let me unleash the powerful story of Paulie.
Mind you, my friend Misha, a Russian immigrant janitor at the university, passed on this tale to me. He found Paulie locked up in the dingy dark basement of the school and was amazed when he heard the bird talk and sing like a human. Now, when I see a bird that can talk and sing like a human, I get a look on my face like that guy who dug up the singing frog on the old Bugs Bunny cartoon. But, my friend Misha is a little bit naïve when it comes to exploitation, so I digress.
It turns out that Paulie has had one hell of a journey. He started out as a gift to a little girl named Marie. They were the best of friends, until her overbearing father came home from the war and got all nutso when he found out that Marie had a stuttering problem. The next thing you know, the stupid kid takes a dive off of the roof like Michael Douglas in The Game and Paulie is sent packing.
He finds his next home in a pawnshop run by Artie (Buddy Hackett…isn't he dead?) and frequented by a two-bit hoodlum named Benny (Jay Mohr, Jerry Maguire and the voice of Paulie). Apparently, this is where he picks up his tough Jersey accent and insulting demeanor.
Paulie is bought by a lonely widow named Ivy (Gena Rowlands, Unhook the Stars) and the two decide to make their way across the country to find Marie. But, in a strange twist, Ivy is suddenly rendered blind and Paulie is forced to continue on his own. This is an important message to all the kids out there – help a bird find his owner and lose the power of sight.
His next stop is in East Los Angeles, where Paulie finds work at a taco stand run by Igancio (Cheech Marin). He falls in love with another parrot named Lupe, but is again forced to move on.
A bit too heady, Paulie may turn kids off with little action and a lot of talking. But screw them, I liked it.
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