Pretty Bird

In the film, the main character states that geniuses always die alone. If that's true, whoever made this movie should be fine as there is no real substance to the film. Pretty Bird follows a group of three men who create a jet pack like invention called the rocket Belt. It's cool but also pretty useless as it can only fly for about 30 seconds. The rest of the film is devoted to showing how this idea ends up driving the three apart. It's not a bad premise even though it's been done in other films, like The Social Network. But what really drags the film down is that it doesn't ever really seem to know what it wants to be. It bounces between the three main characters, but you never really get a sense of what this movie is trying to do. So it ends up feeling unnecessary like its invention. Speaking of unnecessary, the film also awkwardly introduces Kristen Wiig only for her character to not go anywhere or do anything in the film. Anna camp has a very small role in this film as a character named Becca (which should make all the Pitch Perfect fans laugh;). Sadly Anna only has two scenes, and neither of them are important. All of this would make for an okay movie if it weren't so slow and draw-out and boring.

Though picked up for distribution by a major Hollywood studio, "Pretty Bird" didn't seem to have received much (if any) exposure in theaters, and it doesn't take long into watching it to figure out why. To be sure, the cast is talented and appealing, and there is nothing really wrong with the premise of the movie. But it is the actual execution that sinks things. The characters more often than not are somewhat thin; their motivations and other personality touches are murky. The tone is inconsistent; the movie can't decide whether it's a quirky comedy with dramatic touches, or a drama with comic touches. The plot elements are somewhat confusing at times; it seems that linking material that would have made things a lot clearer either wasn't filmed or was edited out. Also, the ending seems somewhat abrupt, as if director Paul Schneider was running out of money towards the end of shooting. In the end, while the movie is not aggressively bad, it is all the same very unsatisfying. But it may be of interest to independent filmmakers; if this movie could play at the Sundance film festival and somehow get nominated for a grand jury prize, there is hope for other independent filmmakers no matter how disappointing their movies may be.

This movie doesnt deserve only 12 reviews on Imdb, although "Pretty Bird" is best suited for a small arthouse audience, who can appreciate a quirky downer portrait of a born looser with big big ideas about making a rocket belt with which individual people can fly. Will he succeed or will he fail again? I have seen it several times already and although I am not rolling on the floor laughing I really dig the unique melancholic/comic looser spirit of this movie: failing miserably, yet doing so with total commitment.

This movie feels a bit uneven in the sense, that it isnt really funny, yet it isnt really dramatic either. It falls somewhat in between. And I like that quirkyness of not being able to place this movie under one particular label, but many people probably might say it is going nowhere, which isnt totally besides the point, because the leading character's life is actually going nowhere. But this looser has crafted his failing at EVERYTHING into a way of life, that is sad yet kinda funny and endearing as well. For me personally it has got the right balance between sad and funny, but for those who like to see a full on straight comedy I would advice to pass this movie by...

Curtis Prentiss (Billy Crudup) has a new idea for an invention. He enlists the help of his friend Kenny Owenby (David Hornsby) who owns a mattress store. Mandy Riddle (Kristen Wiig) works at the store. Rick Honeycutt (Paul Giamatti) is an unemployed rocket scientist. The invention is a rocket belt but Curtis has no technical knowledge and no money.

Billy Crudup is wrong for a wacky indie comedy lead. He is not at all funny. It should be much more of a dark comedy early on. Paul Giamatti is fine as a foil to a funnier character and he's also fine in a black comedy. Hornsby does his normal thing. Kristen Wiig is hilarious when she actually gets lines. In general, there are not enough funny jokes and Crudup is not the best one to deliver them anyways. It's a weak attempt at writing and directing from Paul Schneider who is usually an actor. Actually he could have played Curtis a little bit better than Crudup. The last third turns into something darker which isn't set up in the first part of the movie. I can see what this is attempting but it doesn't work.

"Pretty Bird" is about entrepeneuring a 'rocket belt', which is a real invention. It centers on Curtis Prentiss (Billy Crudup) who at one point in the film says "It's not just a rocket belt, it's an attitude." That says exactly what this film is, it's not about a rocket belt, it's about the attitude of its characters.

Opening and closing with Billy Crudup's Curtis, he brings together Rick (Paul Giamatti) and Kenny (David Hornsby) as partners in his rocket belt innovation company. It's not about what they do, but who they are. They are all deeply troubled men. The characteristics that we see in Crudup's and Giamatti's characters completely drive this film; they are flawed and we can almost put our finger on all of their insecurities and needs but there is more ticking beneath the surface. Without sounding like a love song to Billy Crudup, I have rarely seen a character brought to life the way Curtis was. In one word, phenomenal. In three words, breathtaking, heartbreaking, pioneering.

Unfortunately for all of its brilliant character work, the film stumbled with its story line. At times it was a little slow moving and as it neared the finish line it started meandering in other directions. It does seem pretty disjointed but it also just wanted to build up its characters even more.

Listed as a dark comedy, that is probably accurate. A very intelligent film with its humour, and its many dramatic elements makes it seem dark. Kristen Wiig, as usual for her, comes away with one of the most memorable, funny scenes in the movie.

Its ending can seem unsatisfying, but don't see "Pretty Bird" for its story line, see it for its characters, its smart humour, and Billy Crudup in the role of a lifetime.