Mr. Birthday

Emily is the new girl in school. Her 12th birthday is coming up. She is heartbroken when only her friend Alex shows up for her party. The mean girl at school had secretly organized a boycott and continues to bully her. Her father Barry (Jason London) advises her to turn the other cheek. He works at a downtown hotel residence. Rick (Eric Roberts) is a sleazy resident who keeps hitting on fellow worker Jess (Anna Marie Dobbins). Another resident Mr. Jay (Fred Sullivan) introduces Barry to the International Birthday Network. They throw birthday parties for outcast and lonely children.

Wow! Jason got old. I guess we all have. He does look extra old like a recovering addict. As for the movie, it is poorly made, but I do love the sweet, charming premise. I love this idea. The story is generally fine, but it needs a few changes. The filmmaking and the production are the problems. It looks like a low budget amateur film if not for the professional actors. My birthday wish is to have a real director with a reasonable budget to take over the story.

IN A NUTSHELL:

While working his maintenance job at an upscale hotel, Barry encounters the mysterious Mr. Jay. He introduces Barry to the International Birthday Network, an agency that helps children across the globe suffering from miserable birthdays.

The sugary-sweet movie was written by Matthew Luke Tucci who based the film on a character he created about 25 years ago when he was a little boy. He had always wanted to bring this character to life, so he's thrilled this movie did just that. The film is directed by Dan Hunter who also brought us the 2020 kid's movie Agent Toby Barks

THINGS I LIKED: Jason London is great as a fun single father (Barry) who tries his hardest. His daughter tells him he's "kind of a goof" which is exactly what makes him so endearing. I just wished he would comb his hair. I loved his playful personality and the acting felt very natural and effortless.

You might recognize Eric Roberts as one of the hotel's residents where Barry lives and works. Eric Roberts is the older brother of famous Academy Award winner Julia Roberts. He also earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1985 movie Runaway Train The comedy also stars Anna Marie Dobbins, Charlotte Ciano, Fred Sullivan, Tanya Melendez Lynch, and Mike Messier.

The music by Matthew Luke Tucci is whimsical and perky.

The birthday party themes that are shown in a montage are pretty cute.

The cast looks like real people and not like actors.

There's a cute twist.

The father gives pretty good advice about how to handle bullies and mean kids.

None of the content is objectionable or offensive. It really is a clean, family-friendly flick.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: The description of the movie from the studio states that this takes place in a hotel, but all of the people there appeared to be long-term residents living there. So, was it a hotel or an apartment building?

This may sound odd, but it might confuse young children that Mr. J looks like Santa Claus.

All of the kids are adorable. I'm sure, with time, their acting skills will improve.

There are some really bad acting moments.

Low production quality Some of the dialogue is a bit cliched and stiffly delivered.

Some of the colors and lighting seem off as if the movie were made in the 1970s.

The "global" charity is seen as only doing birthday parties a few blocks away from the hotel or at least close enough that Barry can drive a buggy-type of vehicle, powered by his own legs.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: You see a dog pee on a floor Potty humor and farting Bullying is portrayed by children and adults No profanity.

An older gentleman constantly hits on a young woman

THEMES: Bullying Friendship and "real" friends Dishonesty Hard work Positive attitude Kindness Service to others Father/daughter relationship Birthdays and birthday parties

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Well, truth be told, then I can't claim that I was harboring much of any hopes or expectations to the 2021 comedy "Mr. Birthday" from writer Matthew Luke Tucci and director Dan Hunter. Why? Well, I wasn't familiar with the movie, and the cast ensembled wasn't exactly top of the line.

However, since I hadn't already seen "Mr. Birthday", of course I opted to give it a chance.

But "Mr. Birthday" was definitely not a movie that fell into my liking. The storyline was rubbish, truth be told, and I found zero entertainment here and nothing about the storyline or the characters spoke to me or appealed to me.

As the story trotted on in a slow pace, I have to admit that it was becoming increasingly more and more difficult to keep faking an interest in the movie. And truth be told, I gave up on the movie about half way through. By that time I was done for, as the storyline offered nothing funny or entertaining. The story took forever to get from A to B, and managed to showcase or tell nothing in the process.

I am sure that there is an audience out there somewhere for a movie such as "Mr. Birthday". I just happened not to be a part of that particular audience.

My rating of "Mr. Birthday" lands on a two out of ten stars.