Love Birds

I quite like Rhys Darby and I do like Sally Hawkins, so seeing this at my local video store, had to get it out. I was blown away by its humour, good, gentle story and fine acting. Fabulous aerial shots of Auckland, and a very well-trained duck. Yes, it's a corny story, and it's not earth-shattering,(but then neither is the asteroid). For its genre, it ticks all the boxes and entertains along the way. The kids are polished performers too. It's made me want to get up in a hot-air balloon, which probably isn't a good thing, but it held my attention all the way through - and there are not many movies that do that today. Full marks to all concerned. Will be going out to buy this one.

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

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.

The 2011 one. From new zealand, land of the kiwis! When an injured bird lands on doug's roof, he feels compelled to look after it. And they become therepy buds for each other! Fun and light hearted. Featuring music by queen. Doug brings the bird to holly, the local bird specialist, and they hit it off. With the help of her assistant. Everyone is quirky and different and fun. The only problem is holly's son; he doesn't like the idea of anyone trying to replace his dad. Can it all be straightened out? Cute, fun little story. Directed by paul murphy. Story by nick ward. It's quite good. It gets a bit silly and predictable towards the end, but anything is possible! New zealand and australia seem to have perfected the art of blending odd, quirky stories into film. Well done little film.

Excellent movie! to those that find it not funny, it's probably because you have no concept of life in New Zealand. It is quirky. It is funny. It is a great story. Excellent movie. apparently i need 10 lines to be a real review, so i'll need to waffle on a bit more, but the just of this review remains. Good movie. If you want to watch something, be entertained, have a smile on your face and a happy tear in your eye, then watch this! Still got 3 more lines to go and the site warns me about padding the review, so i better stop and just be about the movie. Good to see Rhys being genuine and funny without trying too hard. Nice to see the mix of culture in the movie that New Zealand is fast becoming known for.