Paulie

A talking parakeet tells his own story to Misha, a cleaner, in the basement of a research laboratory. Years ago he lived with a little girl with a stutter; after they were separated he crossed the country, took part in thefts, counted numbers on stage, fell in love, and ended up locked in a cage. All he wants is to find the girl. The subject is not the joke of a talking animal but what happens to someone who can speak and is not listened to. Every bad thing that befalls Paulie comes from people seeing him as an act rather than a being. The form is a frame story: the basement now, and the journey told in flashback. The bird was performed mainly with real parrots, plus puppetry and digital assistance; Jay Mohr provides the voice. It was marketed as a children's film but its tone is sadder than that promises. The emotional weight of the ending is what let it recover the attention it lost at the box office. John Roberts directs. Gena Rowlands, Tony Shalhoub and Cheech Marin are in the cast. Who it is for: viewers who like family films with animal leads and don't mind them being more melancholy than usual. Who it is not for: anyone after something cheerful for small children; passages verge on animal cruelty and some scenes are heavy.