Pretty Bird (2008)

As Good As It Gets

Blistering performances.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Though picked up for distribution by a major Hollywood studio, "Pretty Bird" didn't seem to have received much (if any) exposure in theaters, and it doesn't take long into watching it to figure out why. To be sure, the cast is talented and appealing, and there is nothing really wrong with the premise of the movie. But it is the actual execution that sinks things. The characters more often than not are somewhat thin; their motivations and other personality touches are murky. The tone is inconsistent; the movie can't decide whether it's a quirky comedy with dramatic touches, or a drama with comic touches. The plot elements are somewhat confusing at times; it seems that linking material that would have made things a lot clearer either wasn't filmed or was edited out. Also, the ending seems somewhat abrupt, as if director Paul Schneider was running out of money towards the end of shooting. In the end, while the movie is not aggressively bad, it is all the same very unsatisfying. But it may be of interest to independent filmmakers; if this movie could play at the Sundance film festival and somehow get nominated for a grand jury prize, there is hope for other independent filmmakers no matter how disappointing their movies may be.

I have become a big fan of Paul Giamatti of late. To be fair, he was great in this as he always seems to be. All of the acting was very good, and for some time the movie was engaging and funny, but man did it fall apart in the last 1/3 or so. It is the worst movie I have seen in some time.There were elements of humor and even suspense, but the story really didn't make any sense, and not in a cool quirky way either. Also the use of Kristin Wiig for such an insignificant role is a waste of her talent.Don't bother with this one. Try Cold Souls for Giamattites and even Whip It for you Wiigies!

First, a general impression the film was mucked around with in editing. Maybe it was a scripting problem. I've seen this in the remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" which was pared down and pared down. Unfortunately it cut deeply into the bone. Same thing for the "Solaris" remake.Kristen Wiig disappears. Her arc never really starts and there is no closure.The abrupt ending leads to an unsatisfied feeling.Some bad guys are introduced but never fleshed and only partially explained. One has a single scene and is never heard from again.Though marketed as a comedy (and it initially veers that way), it becomes deadly serious. The tonal shift jars and detracts.And I just wanted more.That said, I enjoyed the film. Giammati is always a joy as is Cruddup.At the root it's a character study: the volatile, paranoid and violent Rocket Scientist Giammati has a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas; Cruddup's overcompensating, delusional, near con man/President reeks of failure; Kenny, the unquestioning money man, is the poster child for ineffectual and weak.These three misfits conspire to create a rocket belt introduced by Cruddup who spools the scene from "Thunderball" in which Bond escapes via Bell Jet Pack.Off and running on Kenny's money, the trio do create the belt. After a successful test, paranoia and distrust creeps into their relationship.The dream Cruddup sold the others disappears - figuratively and literally.Worth a look. Certainly better than the average brain dead fare, but may disappoint as it's a glimpse of how brilliant it could have been. A near miss of a near miss.Read the source book instead.

The foreword script in the intro tells us that rocket belts were real, they worked, but the projects were dropped years ago. But now they are the subject of this movie.Billy Crudup is a dreamer, Curtis Prentiss, who wants badly to be successful. So he seizes on the idea to develop and market a modern rocket belt, one that a person can strap on and fly. But he needs money and he needs a rocket scientist who can do the invention. Crudup is one of the better actors that too few know about, and he is superb here.Enter Paul Giamatti as Rick Honeycutt, recently unemployed but who worked for 20 years in the aerospace business. He is a genuine rocket scientist. But he has a very rough manner, with everyone, and soon forgets that he is the hired help, and wants to claim his invention for himself. (Be cautioned, this character uses a lot of very filthy language, it is in character, but some may object.) The 3rd key character is David Hornsby as Kenny, who is running a pretty successful retail mattress business. Curtis happens to be Kenny's best friend and when Kenny says he has an idea but needs working space and a financial infusion, Kenny says "count me in" even without knowing what the project is.So Rick sets up a lab in the vacant part of Kenny's building, while Curtis names himself president of the company and sets about trying to sell the idea of his project to venture capitalists. It is a rough sell and Curtis always seems out of his league.Soon friction develops and Curtis and Rick compete for leadership and the possession of the working model of the rocket belt.It is a fun and quirky movie, which in general I enjoy, but the ending left me hungry for some resolution. Crudup and Giamatti are both excellent in their roles.