Pretty Bird
Pretty Bird

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- 50/100 based on 1,171 votes

A comic tale of three would-be entrepreneurs who set out to invent a rocket belt. The clash of their mismatched personalities soon dissolves the business into a morass of recriminations and retaliations, kidnapping, and murder in this parable of American dreams and delusions.... (Full plot summary below)

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Actors in Pretty Bird:

Billy Crudup
Paul Giamatti
Kristen Wiig
David Hornsby
Denis O'Hare
Elizabeth Marvel

Full Plot Details

A comic tale of three would-be entrepreneurs who set out to invent a rocket belt. The clash of their mismatched personalities soon dissolves the business into a morass of recriminations and retaliations, kidnapping, and murder in this parable of American dreams and delusions.

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Movie Reviews

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - 8/10 by Philip MartinWhile the names attached to Paul Schneider's directorial debut (Paul Giamatti, Billy Crudup, Kristen Wiig) might make it sound attractive, there's a reason this 2008 black comedy - allegedly based on a true story - never made it to a theater near you.
Movie Metropolis - 4/10 by John J. Puccio...wanders hopelessly, trying to find a tone or a purpose or a point of view.
User Review - 10/10 by Mark KThe reviews here seem to be basing this film on the criteria reserved for mainstream BS and therefore miss the point entirely. The performances in this film are incredible. Crudup and Giamatti are both absolutely outstanding, and the supports are right there with them.
User Review - 8/10 by Kris VThis was surprisingly good indie film the material was out of the blue and had a somewhat strange tone to it. But often times it was hilarious mostly in a strange dark way. Both what makes the film work so well is the interaction between the three leads characters. They are a peculiar bunch but it works in their favor. The ending was a little unresolved, which was quite unfortunate.
User Review - 8/10 by Don UA sad tale of delusion and obsession. Tragic and smart.
User Review - 6/10 by Scott WToday Paramount Home Entertainment releases PRETTY BIRD on DVD, a quirky dramatization of the power and pitfalls of the American inventive spirit and desire to reach for greatness. Led by a powerful ensemble cast including Paul Giamatti, Billy Crudup and David Hornsby, a trio of dreamers disgruntled by their reality-grounded lives attempt devise a rocket pack and aim their ambitions at the wild blue yonder. Written and directed by Paul Schneider (also seen in Parks and Recreation) and based on a true story, this edgy comedy/drama hybrid dramatizes the noble and dark sides of seeking such a bold aspiration at any cost. Its unexpected and enjoyably strange story aside, PRETTY BIRD at its heart is about the very human desire to rise above our own limits and achieve glory, be it personal, professional or altruistic. The drama here arises from the motivation behind such aspiration, and Crudup personifies that crux in the form of Curtis Prentiss, a smooth-talking, socially adept salesman of what should be. Of course, our introduction to him washing up on a shoreline and crawling away in a waterlogged white tuxedo implies that all may not go so smoothly in Prentiss' life of what-is. He dreams of flight but has no wings, and so he must seek partners to realize his entrepreneurial ends, and turbulence ensues. Prentiss secures seed money for his bizarre quest to invent a personal rocket belt from an old school chum Kenny, played with comic pathos and subtle heartbreak by Hornsby. A semi-successful mattress retailer, Kenny quickly falls under Curtis' sales spiel and signs on to their newly formed corporation as CFO, mortgaging the income and very existence of his mattress store for the cause. Since neither the huckster nor his stake possess any scientific knowledge, Curtis entices laid-off rocket engineer Rick Honeycutt (Giamatti) into co-inventing his jet pack dream. The gruff, professionally abused Rick seizes the opportunity if only to make his own mark on a corporate world which has stolen all his creative credit in life. Yet he soon realizes that Curtis' dream may not be a lofty goal but rather an escape from reality. While Rick labors and Kenny empties his bank accounts, Curtis continues bamboozling all potential targets of opportunity to market the jet pack and his boost own ego's stock. Such salesmanship includes seducing Kenny's former clerk and single mother Mandy (Kristen Wiig), who starves for fulfillment and connection above her dreary daily routine. It's in this seduction that Curtis' true sales prowess becomes evident: he is less concerned about marketing a personal rocket belt for civilian flight, that is merely another concocted idea, an image commodity he wants to sell. Unfortunately Kenny and Rick buy into the dream of building the jet pack itself - so desperate are they to please Curtis or prove themselves, respectively - realizing only too late their own dreams have been sold out. Curtis' one and only product for sale is himself: he will say and do anything to get people to buy into his scheme not for scientific innovation but for self-invention. Crudup's various motivational exercises - from warming up his voice to offering himself pep talks in the mirror - reveal that Curtis' life is one long sales pitch to himself. His performance is the most engaging in this story which can play for outright laughs or dark comedic twists. In a way the less likable Curtis acts, the more compelling he is to watch. Crudup walks a very fine line of character acting to keep his role believable and entertaining without lapsing into caricature buffoonery. Likewise Giamatti takes his firm grip on cantankerous behavior to a darker extreme while never surrendering Rick's desperate, empathetic humanity. Rick is perpetually the genius, literally a rocket scientist, who has all the brains in the universe and none of the backbone to stand up for his achievements. When Prentiss backs him into one corner too many attempting to steal away one more dream from Rick, the brainiac flexes his muscle in a most unexpected manner. The final quarter-hour of the film is quite a curveball in the plot: some may find it surprising while others deem it unsupported by the bulk of the film. Either way, this quirky film heightens its own game to an unpredictable level which remains true to its core value, even as the protagonist must deal with the consequences of his own empty hype. Less about flight in the aeronautic sense after all, PRETTY BIRD examines the human potential to soar above its own expectations and limitations, be that trajectory be for good or bad. Schneider's alternatively witty and wacky script supports his look into the darker motivations behind pursuing what is perceived as the American dream - and indeed suggests that dream has devolved from national pride and glory to personal aggrandizement and profit. The cast embodies these dilemmas and questions affably and with humor, resulting in a daring and occasionally dangerous trip for viewers willing to embrace its unpredictable, indie style of storytelling. Schneider's abrupt ending may not satisfy, but the trajectory getting there is a worthwhile adventure. Expect a challenging, intimate drama with the quirky throttle open, then buckle up.
User Review - 6/10 by Anthony BModest, minor, and harmless, Pretty Bird is pretty funny. The cast is odd and ambitious, each actor trying something a little unorthodox for them, not risky necessarily, but the performances are definitely different and solid. Paul Giamatti and Billy Crudup are both amusing in their roles, especially when they play off each other, which happens often because the story revolves around their equally quirky characters butting heads. The screenplay for Pretty Bird was a hit on the blacklist but as a film it was a dud at Sundance (among other festivals) and never received a theatrical release and for the first hour I was watching it I couldn't figure out why. It was well paced, likable, and had that mainstream appeal. It wasn't until the third act began that it quickly became apparent as to why this movie never took off (inside joke/pun intended.) Still, the third act isn't bad, just the ending, which lacked resolve. Pretty Bird manages to maintain its tone for the most part but loses its steam in the last 30 minutes and just kind of wanders, which is odd, because the film could have gone in at least a dozen other directions that would have resulted in a more satisfying/sensible conclusion. For actor turned director Paul Schneider (aka pseudo Jim from Parks and Recreation)'s directorial debut, Pretty Bird is successful in its own right, but let's be honest, it's textbook indie stuff.
User Review - 6/10 by Nadim KPaul Giamatti with his mustache is very funny...
User Review - 6/10 by Riley HIn "Pretty Bird," Curtis(Billy Crudup) has an idea. So, he goes to his best friend Kenny(David Hornsby) who has a successful mattress business and therefore the necessary capital. The next step is an aerospace engineer, and somehow without alerting several government agencies, he contacts Rick(Paul Giamatti), very much out of work and badly in need of something to occupy his time. Together they form Fantastic Tech where Curtis plans to build personal jet packs from blueprints found at the local library, inspired by the movie "Thunderball." In the end, this is a rambling and offbeat movie that holds together as well as it does due to the always excellent work from Crudup and Giamatti. A lot of "Pretty Bird" has to do with people who have found only disappointment in life, just as the future is not the one we all imagined, especially with no flying cars.(Although, there is one in "The Man with the Golden Gun.") Kenny became a success but not by following his dream while Curtis and Rick are still going in their original directions at different speeds, as one is practical while the other one has his head always in the clouds. And on the surface, it might seem strange to be inspired to build something from a James Bond movie but I think I remember hearing about the navy utilizing the idea of the underwater breathers also from "Thunderball," so who knows?
User Review - 6/10 by Ross HBilly Crudup is not your typical actor. And he doesn't take typical roles. In this he plays a kind of car salesman gung ho type of character who wants to invent a rocket belt. He gets his revelation from the James Bond movie in which Sean Connery dons a rocket belt and takes off into the sky. The only problem is he's not a rocket scientist. So he uses his buddy's mattress store as the foundation for the cash flow and tries to find a rocket scientist. Enter Paul Giamatti who was the best thing in this film by far. He puts in a great performance as a down on his luck scientist (he's laid off) who's wife keeps telling him to keep looking for work. He doesn't necessarily think the same as she. Crudup does eventually convince Giamatti's character to try his hand at making the belt. I won't tell you if they succeed but by the end of the movie the film takes some interesting turns to its ending. Also there's Kristen Wiig as the mattress store's receptionist. From what little she has in her role she does just fine. And the lady looks really nice in this one. Always puts her own spin on every character she does. Not a bad little movie if you're searching for something a little off kilter and like Giamatti in about everything.

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