Paulie (1998)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

John Roberts

Writer (WGA):

Laurie Craig (written by)

Release Date:

17 April 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family

Tagline:

The Bird is the Word

Plot:

Life from a parrot's point of view.

Plot Keywords:

Parrot | Janitor | Little Girl | Child's Point Of View | Grand Canyon

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Gena Rowlands	...	Ivy
Tony Shalhoub	...	Misha Vilyenkov
Cheech Marin	...	Ignacio
Bruce Davison	...	Dr. Reingold
Trini Alvarado	...	Adult Marie Alweather
Jay Mohr	...	Benny / Paulie (voice)
Buddy Hackett	...	Artie
Hallie Kate Eisenberg	...	Marie Alweather
Matt Craven	...	Warren Alweather
Bill Cobbs	...	Virgil the Janitor
Tia Texada	...	Ruby / Lupe (voice)
Laura Harrington	...	Lila Alweather
Peter Basch	...	Graduate Student #1
Emily Mura-Smith	...	Graduate Student #2
Hal Robinson	...	Grandpa

Also Known As:

Polly, a Parrot's Tail (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for brief mild language.

Runtime:

91 min | Switzerland:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Philippines:G | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:o.Al. (w) | Mexico:A | Netherlands:AL | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | USA:PG

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

Animal stunt coordinator Boone Narr arranged seven separate bird casting calls, involving over 38 species. Blue-crown Conure parrots were deemed best, and 14 of them were used in the production, different birds with different personalities fitting into different scenes. For scenes that were too dangerous for the live parrots, or needed complex facial expressions in close-ups, an animatronic Paulie created at the Stan Winston Studio was used.

Goofs:

Continuity: In various different scenes, Paulie's wings are seen to be clipped. Any scenes where he isn't flying, his primary feathers have been clipped, you can see when he opens his wings out. Later in the film they say they are clipping his primary feathers but up until then, he is supposed to have had unclipped wings.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[Misha reports for work, it is dark and raining]
Virgil the Janitor: The agency told you you had to pay for your own uniforms, right ?
Misha: Yes, I buy with money from job.
Virgil the Janitor: No, no, no. You can't start the job without a uniform.
Misha: But how to buy if not been paid ?
Virgil the Janitor: You don't have any money ?
Misha: No. This is why I take job. To make money. This is why I come to America. To be a big shoot.
Virgil the Janitor: Shot. Big shot.
Misha: I try not to live in past, only present tense since I come to America.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Monk: Mr. Monk and the Lady Next Door (#7.12)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Estoy Loco

A heartwarming, feel good film!

Paulie is a "feel good" film about the life of an amazing parrot and the lives he touches. He starts out as the friend of a young girl, then lives with a dying woman, an Hispanic performer and a con man. He finally winds up as the subject of experiments at a laboratory, where he is befriended by an introverted Russian immigrant, played by the wonderful Tony Shalhoub. I won't give away the end of the film, but it'll bring tears to your eyes. You won't believe you are crying about a parrot! A nice little movie that'll make you laugh and cry and give you a feeling of hope!