merelyaninnuendo
Birds Of AmericaIt starts off breezy and light and gives us high hopes but somewhere before the climax it goes down and struggles before it dips too low to even bare it.
szokia
This is one of the best movies I've seen this year. Surprisingly so, because it is habitually rated just average on the various sites like Amazon and IMDb. People don't seem to understand the very deep and beautiful psychology of this movie, which ultimately culminates in discovering what and where a person's real freedom is. Not in a political way, but in a liberating, "life's journey" kind of way. This movie is beautifully written, which is a tricky matter when dealing with this level of intellectualism. It stops short of being preachy or over-written. It is perfect! The casting is excellent too. Each character has great depth (or shallowness) that is magnificently represented by the actors chosen for each role. The pacing is also very well done, as is the score and the camera work. All in all, when it was over, I was ready to start watching it all over again. I really actually wish the whole story would have stretched much longer. It was sheer delight.A movie about recognizing the chains that bind you and the love that frees you.
studioAT
Birds of America is a decent enough film without ever being great. It has all the heart and humour that was expected when you consider the cast involved and yet it seemed to be lacking that vital ingredient that perhaps would have improved this film.I think a major problem is that there are just too many subplots going on for the audience to really connect with all of them. It feels like the director Craig Lucas is trying to insert every cliché of independent films into this one picture but when all these elements come together it doesn't make a great film.Matthew Perry and Lauren Graham are there normal great selves but their story is only one of many that are linked in this film. Overall an enjoyable enough film that doesn't really do enough to make you want to watch it again.
reeb-myoo
I give this 5 out of ten for a number of reasons. But mainly, because I was just disappointed in it. It was good acting, the camera work was good, but it just lacked luster and imagination...I understand that the Birds thing in the title is a metaphor. No need to throw it in my face with constant pictures of birds and an annoyingly fake bird call track playing throughout the film.Lauren Graham should have had a bigger part in the film. She was a good character, but she needed developing a lot more. She seemed a little one-dimensional at times. For any friends fan, I will quote Perry's character - "she's like a mother with no baby." This subplot needed to be developed more as well - felt like all of that was just skimmed over. Graham is an amazing actress, and her character deserved to be as good as she is.Perry, as always, was simply fabulous. He managed to make a pretty annoying character (the slightly OCD, won't have a baby until he gets tenure, etc etc) into a likable, lovable one. His wit and charm as a person shines through to all of his characters, and he made this movie what it is, in my opinion.The other actors were good as well, albeit a little unbelievable at times. I especially liked Ida (I've forgotten the actress' name, I apologise).I really, really wish I'd loved this movie. I was looking forward to it so much, and had pretty high expectations, seeing as Perry and Graham are two of my favourite actors. But, it was a bit of a disappointment.I would recommend watching it, but go in with low expectations, because it's not a fabulous film.
AD
