Love Birds

At the end of this movie I realised my face was tired from smiling so hard. It was a fun movie with plenty of laughs. Especially funny was the trip to the bird sanctuary and the lip-synched end credits.

The romance unfolded slowly and sweetly and realistically and the movie managed to make me care about the characters and hope things would work out for them.

The duck - sorry Shelduck - in the movie was very cute and not at all annoying like I had feared it might be. And who couldn't resist a duck who likes listening to Queen music?

While the lead actor Rhys Darby is usually a comedian, I thought his acting and screen presence was up to the challenge of this feature length film.

Doug (Rhys Darby) has just been jilted by longtime galfriend, Susan. An item for two years, Susan can't stand the fact the Doug still lives in the house he inherited when his parents died, she'd prefer something more upscale. Also, she detests the fact that he adores the rock band Queen, having a wall devoted to their photos and playing their music constantly. So, she's had enough and walks out the door. Hurting immensely, Doug keeps the breakup news from his best buds at work and at play. Luckily, this road worker's attentions soon get diverted. A rare black duck lands on his roof, having broken a wing. Rescuing the bird, he takes it to a nearby small zoo, where the expert on winged creatures, Holly (Sally Hawkins) says she can't help him. Instead, she hands him a phone number for a nearby vet (Bryan Brown, how nice to see him!). Declaring that the bird will never fly again, the doc suggests that Doug foster it until he can find another solution. Settling the duck, which he names Pierre, with his own room, complete with Doug's former wading pool, he soon becomes very fond of his feathered friend. They sleep together and sometimes even take a bath together, when Pierre hops right in. Meanwhile, since Doug liked the looks of Holly, he tries to get "something going" with this nice lady. But, there are complications. Holly has a son, Taylor, who misses his deceased dad and detests Doug on sight. Then, Susan returns to make small overtures to her former flame once more. This confuses Doug, naturally. Between going to trivia contests at his favorite bar friends, trying to decide who he loves, and caring for Pierre, who suddenly gets lost in a woods, what will be Doug's near future expectations? Just ducky, that's what this movie is, viewers will adore it. Hawkins, a Brit star, is always welcome while Darby is handsome and charming. Other cast members of many ethnic groups are total delights, too. As for the scenery, how wonderful and exotic it is, looking nothing like other places on earth. The script is clever, the costumes are winning, and the direction is sure-footed and fun. On top of all this, the trained duck is beyond cute and quite talented, worth the price of the film entirely by himself. So, ducks, get your things in order and go find Love Birds for this coming weekend.

I'm sick of the Hollywood version of the romantic comedy. It seems like all this time, Hollywood has been trying to get close to repeating the critical and commercial success of When Harry Met Sally – itself an attempt to pull off a more accessible version of Woody Allen's late-70s bittersweet romantic comedies. However, Hollywood tends to get it wrong each time, with either bad casting, a bad script, or a very dubious moral centre (or all three - step forward Made Of Honour).

Away from the Hollywood version, Love Birds manages to entertain without leaving a bad aftertaste (the sort of guilt you usually feel after watching a romantic comedy when you realise you've just wasted 90 minutes of your life). Kiwi comedian Rhys Darby plays Doug, down-on-his-luck after being unceremoniously dumped by his long-term girlfriend. He finds solace in caring for an injured duck – also taken away from its partner – and this leads him to the supporting cast of Sally Hawkins and Bryan Brown.

Both actors are as awesome as ever, and Darby – by trade a stand-up comedian and comedic actor – more than stands up against them, carrying the film on his shoulders. The film is set in Auckland, New Zealand and it serves as a good showcase of the city's key features. In fact, the Auckland tourism board should really pay this film some attention (if it hasn't done already).

All in all, not the greatest film in the world, but a pretty entertaining one and a nice example of Kiwi filmmaking.

Loved it!!!! I think I must have grinned and smiled for almost the entire movie, interspersed with a few big laughs and also a couple of moments where I held my breath. Rhys Darby was excellent - I was already a fan of his from Flight of the Conchords and he didn't disappoint in this and held his own against the other actors. Bryan Brown was superb as well, although would have been great to have a few more quirky scenes with his character in them.

I don't watch movies as often as I used to, so many times now after watching a movie I just feel like it was rubbish and a waste of time. This movie kept me engaged and entertained the whole time and I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed this warm-hearted little gem.

An easy light-hearted and thoroughly engaging movie that anyone can enjoy. I wish they made more movies like this!

I just saw this film and have to say that i was surprised and warmed by the kind of films they are making in New Zealand.

As a European i had no idea what to expect (from New Zealand) coming into the film. Its not perfect, but in the end i didn't care, for i laughed, had a tear in my eye at times and had an all round good time.

The performances are strong from both Kiwi comedian Rhys Darby and up and coming English star Sally Hawkins, as well as strong back up performances from Emily Barclay and veteran Aussie Bryan Brown.

The real treat however for music lovers is the soundtrack provided courtesy of rock legends Queen. There was around 9 or 10 of Queen's greatest tracks in the film including 'Somebody to Love', 'Bicycle Race', 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love'.

As i said, its not perfect. But you know what, you wont care. Its just a good old fashioned movie of the type that we need more of.

Overall this is a very sweet film with a difference and shows that New Zealand cinema is unique, alive and well.

8/10