Movie Type: Family-Oriented Comedy, Family-Oriented Adventure
Themes: Talented Animals, Talking Animals
Main Cast: Jay Mohr, Gena Rowlands, Tony Shalhoub, Tia Texada, Cheech Marin, Bruce Davison
Release Year: 1998
Country: US
Run Time: 91 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
In the Babe tradition of talking animatronic animals, this comedy adventure gets underway when animal-research-lab janitor Misha (Tony Shalhoub) expresses concern for a Blue-crown Conure parrot named Paulie (voice of Jay Mohr) caged in a dank basement. Misha settles back as Paulie tells his life story, seen in flashback: When Paulie was owned by little Marie (Hallie Kate Eisenberg), the parrot helped the little girl get rid of her stutter. After Marie tried to teach Paulie how to fly, he wound up in a pawnshop owned by Artie (Buddy Hackett), where he got an education in one-liners. Paulie and Ivy (Gena Rowlands) learn Marie's family is in LA, so Ivy agrees to drive Paulie cross-country in her RV. However, Marie goes blind and dies. Paulie is forced to fly to LA, where small-time entrepreneur Ignacio (Cheech Marin), with an eye for talent, talons and tacos, puts Paulie to work as a dancer at his taco-stand, where Paulie gets a birds-eye view of a female parrot with pretty plumage. Unfortunately, researcher Dr. Reingold (Bruce Davison), convinced Paulie can bring him academic recognition, steps in with a false promise to link the parrot up with Marie. Betrayed, Paulie refuses to speak anything other than the standard "want-a-cracker" lines, resulting in solitary confinement. Misha, who knows why the caged bird talks, hopes to free Paulie for an eventual reunion with Marie. Animal stunt coordinator Boone Narr and Stan Winston animatronics brought Paulie to life. For another fine-feathered film, see Dean Riesner's Bill and Coo (1947); the film's all-bird cast (dressed in human clothing) brought a "Special Award" for producer Ken Murray during the 1948 Oscar ceremony. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
Review
A movie about an animatronic talking parrot might give viewers that kind of uneasy "been there, done that" vibe from a hundred other unsuccessful kiddie movies, but Paulie generates a comfortable blend of warmth and sarcasm that shrugs off any advanced bias. Hip comedian Jay Mohr was a wise choice for the voice of the wisecracking bird, and in an especially fun scene, the actor himself shows up as a small-time hood trying to use the bird as an accomplice on his heists, bringing the two into a kind of doppelganger conversation. One of Paulie's unexpected strengths -- though some might consider it a plot hole -- is that few of Paulie's human acquaintances are flabbergasted by his ability to speak. Instead, they treat the amiable but tactless bird as an equal, engaging in talks about universal truths as though his status as a sentient creature were a given. Tony Shalhoub is the standout among the humans, as the humble Russian janitor who thinks that tangerines taste "delirious," but all of the recognizable actors submit game cameos. Because it came from DreamWorks, as part of the studio's initial spate of family themed films (including Antz and Mouse Hunt), the visual effects used to animate the parrot are first rate. Paulie is memorable for matter-of-factly creating a fairy-tale environment in which suspension of disbelief is surprisingly easy, and the results are more sweet than cloying. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Tom Taylor - Art Director, Risa Bramon Garcia - Casting, Randi Hiller - Casting, Sarah Halley-Finn - Casting, Michele Weisler - Co-producer, Mary Zophres - Costume Designer, Jeff Rafner - First Assistant Director, John Roberts - Director, Mark Vargo - Second Unit Director, Bruce Cannon - Editor, Ginny Nugent - Executive Producer, John Debney - Composer (Music Score), Dennis Washington - Production Designer, Tony Pierce-Roberts - Cinematographer, Mark Gordon - Producer, Gary Levinsohn - Producer, Allison Lyon Segan - Producer, John H.M. Berger - Set Designer, Denise Pizzini - Set Designer, Sony Pictures Imageworks - Special Effects, Light Matters - Special Effects, Banned From The Ranch Entertainment - Special Effects, Santa Barbara Studios - Special Effects, Hammerhead Productions - Special Effects, Joseph Geisinger - Sound/Sound Designer, Laurie Craig - Screenwriter, Mark Vargo - Second Unit Director Of Photography, David Lowery - Storyboard Artist
Paulie is a 1998 film about a bird named Paulie, starring Tony Shalhoub, Gena Rowlands, Hallie Kate Eisenberg, and Jay Mohr. Mohr performs the voice of Paulie and plays a minor on-screen character. The film was nominated for 5 awards and won 2. The film was rated PG by the MPAA for "Brief Mild Language".
The film is a picaresque tale about an intelligent talking blue-crowned conure named Paulie and his long quest to return to his owner.
Misha Belenkoff (Tony Shalhoub), a Russian immigrant and former teacher of literature, is living in America and working as a janitor at an animal testing lab. There he encounters a blue-crowned conure and is astonished when it speaks to him in perfect English. The bird does not talk when Belenkoff brings witnesses.
Misha persuades the bird to tell his story with pieces of mango after reading about the diet of conures. Paulie tells Belenkoff about his real owner, a little girl named Marie (Hallie Kate Eisenberg) who was a stutterer. Paulie is shown in flashback, first as a baby bird. As Marie learns to speak, so does he, and he learns well, understanding the meaning of words and learning to construct complex sentences. Marie's father does not like the bird, and gives him away after a dramatic event in which Marie falls off the roof of her house in an attempt to teach Paulie to fly.
Paulie is passed from one owner to another, ending up in a pawn shop. Paulie is purchased by a widowed artist, Ivy (Gena Rowlands). She befriends him and agrees to take him to find Marie, who has moved across the country. Ivy loses her sight and Paulie decides to stay and take care of her. Ivy dies one day and is taken away while Paulie, having finally learned to fly, continues his journey.
In East Los Angeles, Paulie joins a group of performing conures owned by Ignacio (Cheech Marin), but is kidnapped by Benny (Mohr) and begins a life of crime. In a botched jewel theft, Paulie flies down through the chimney of a house, but is trapped inside and abandoned.
Paulie is then brought to the institute, his current home, where employees and scientists there are stunned by his intelligence. They put Paulie through tests and promise that he will be reunited with Marie. When Paulie discovers that the institute has lied to him, he refuses to cooperate with any more tests. Paulie's wings are clipped and he is imprisoned in the basement.
Belenkoff gives up his menial job to release Paulie and take him to Marie. Marie, now a beautiful grown-up woman (Trini Alvarado), is unrecognizable to Paulie. After a moment of confusion, they are happily reunited. Paulie joyfully flies. The film ends with Misha and Marie going into her house with Paulie to catch up.
Production
The film's production budget was 23 million US dollars.[1]
Reception
The film was well received. As of April 11, 2009, the movie has scored a 63% or 6.1/10 rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
It was distributed in 24 countries and 10 different languages between 1998 and 1999.
Paulie grossed $5,369,800 on its opening weekend, and $26,875,268 USD altogether. It was released in 1,812 theaters [1].
