A Bird of the Air

and little more. a bird, a search and a couple. the story is, in same measure, adorable, credible, sweet and wise. a kind of parable about life beauty and sense. and a not little role for its success remains the work of Rachel Nichols and Jackson Hurst chemistry. a film with all spices who gives to its public joy and few crumbs of cinnamon. and a not bad script who creates interesting characters and gives precision to details and inspired rhythm to atmosphere. histories, humor, duty and love. in a perfect package. that is all. is it enough ? in this case, strange fact, the answer may be yes. only for few animals. and a green bird.

This film was a library recommendation and I liked it so much that I watched it twice before returning it. The dialogue pacing was near perfect and the chemistry seemed effortless between the leads and everybody now that I think of it. Cinematography spot on keeping the focus on on the actors including the animals. Lighthearted score kept the drama from being too much and the comedy grounded. Rachel Nichols nailed it. Jackson Hurst got the tune of his character perfect as well. The film gently engaged my emotions without me realizing it had. As the end of the movie approached I really did care what happed to the characters even fairly minor ones. It was a true pleasure to see Anjanette Comer who I have seen in decades and Buck Henry a classic. Once the film was over I wondered what happened next. Too bad it's too late to do a bad quirky series that would only last half a season but give fans like me little more of a good thing. Great job Ms Nichols, Mr Hurst and director Margaret Whitton (i think the only movies this gifted character actor directed). I do hope that you were all proud of this fine work.

Character actress turned filmmaker Margaret Whitton demonstrates real directorial savvy with A BIRD OF THE AIR, an appealing dramedy adapted by Roger Towne ("The Natural") from Joe Coomer's 1992 novel THE LOOP. Indie production may be low-profile amongst the high-concept Hollywood product out there, but is a highly recommended movie.

Originally optioned by Oprah and later acquired by Matthew McConaughey as a vehicle for himself and post-SAHARA (but pre-Oscar) Penelope Cruz, Whitton's eventual version benefits from casting unknown leads.

Jackson Hurst toplines as Lyman, a handsome introvert with zero social skills, whose job is cleaning up the interstate in rural New Mexico by night, aiding stranded or injured motorists. A beautiful, flighty young librarian Fiona (winningly personified by Rachel Nichols) sets her romantic sights on Lyman, and a decidedly unconventional bond develops between the mismatched pair.

A couple of non-human characters balance and amplify the drama, as a parrot mysteriously flies into Lyman's trailer home one day, an aged, lost soul like our orphan hero. Fiona's basset hound is the other leading player, at first downright hostile to Lyman, but later helping to break down his protective shell.

Much of the narrative revolves around Lyman's quest to track down the previous owners of the parrot, while Fiona researches Lyman's own shady background. Director Whitton has cleverly distorted the voices of those owners to provide a voice for the humorously loquacious bird, whose pronouncements hint at the film's underlying themes.

Brief but telling character turns are provided by the succession of owners, all sympathetically acted by a diverse group of talents including Buck Henry, Judith Ivey and Phyllis Sommerville. Film buffs will also note a welcome (albeit fleeting) return to the screen by Anjanette Comer as Buck's wife. Also forceful in support is Linda Emond as a diner waitress who mothers Lyman and narrates the picture.

Flavorful but not showy lensing by Oscar-winner Philippe Rousselot is a plus, and the film remains offbeat without succumbing to the cutesy clichés that tempt so many indie efforts of late. Hurst is disarming as the central hunk, acting in a style reminiscent of early Harrison Ford (before he started taking himself a bit too seriously) and Nichols, in quite a turnabout after co-starring opposite CONAN THE BARBARIAN, is a radiant heroine.

A man finds a bird and tracks down its previous owners with the help of a traveling librarian. This is an interesting story that kinda makes me want to check out the book it's based on. And I don't even like birds.

I feel like this movie takes a search for identity in a unique direction and pulls off the romantic subplot more successfully than other films I have seen in this tone.

My biggest complaint is the characterization of the female lead. She has a manic pixie dream girl vibe going, and at times she seems obnoxious for no reason. I never really felt like I understood her the way I understood Lyman. There's also some narration that doesn't feel needed; it's not very consistent and it doesn't go all the way through the film.

That being said, I think this films succeeds more than it fails. Seeing Lyman develop and interact with more and more people felt gratifying to watch.

I have never before seen or even heard of either of the two lead actors. The male lead is sort of charming, and it would be nice to find out if his range extended into any other emotions as the story developed, or if he stayed locked in the same surly shyness all the way through. But the female lead is so unbelievably obnoxious that I couldn't get past about 25 minutes.

EVERY TIME she came on screen and opened her mouth or gave that stupid dimply smirk I cringed, and I wanted some berserk extra to run up and punch her very hard in the face. Nobody ever did, and I couldn't stand any more of her, so I stopped watching. It's not like I HAD to watch this movie.

It's amazing that such an obnoxious person ever got hired to be in anything, even a direct-to-video flop like this. I need to look up her name so I can be very sure never to see her again. Rachel Nichols. Yuck.