Paulie (1998)

Life from a parrot's point of view.

Director:

John Roberts

Writer:

Laurie Craig

Stars:

Gena Rowlands, Tony Shalhoub, Cheech Marin

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Paulie, an intelligent parrot who actually talks, relates the story of his struggle to a Russian immigrant who works as a janitor at the research institute where he is housed and neglected. Paulies story begins many years earlier when he is given as a gift to a little girl who stutters. Eventually, he teaches the girl to speak correctly but is taken away by her father because he believes the girl cannot distinguish fantasy from reality because she believes the bird can talk. Paulie goes through a series of adventures with a pawn shop owner, an ageing widow, a Mexican-American troubadour and a would be thief before being taken to the institute where he now lives.

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Plot Keywords:

girl | parrot | russian | mexican american | thief | 

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Taglines:

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single parrot.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for brief mild language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

17 April 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Polly, a Parrot's Tail

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£97,163 (UK) (24 July 1998)

Gross:

$27,008,669 (USA) (14 August 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks SKG, Mutual Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Buddy Hackett's final appearance in a theatrical film.

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Goofs

When driving to Los Angeles with Ivy, Paulie says that the largest desert is at the north pole when in fact the largest desert is Antarctica which is at the south pole.

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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 to 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 when 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.
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Flushed Away (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Estoy Loco"
Written and Performed by Josh Cruze and the Bandidos de Amor

User Reviews

Heart warming

Something about "Paulie" touched my heart as few movies do. It is a witty, funny yet emotional movie. I'm a late comer in becoming a fan of this movie. I didn't see "Paulie" until May, 2004 and have since ordered the Widescreen DVD from a seller at eBay.

The special effects of showing Paulie talking are superb. My son asked me how the bird knew so many phrases.Probably my favorite part of the movie is when Paulie is in Gena Rowlands (Ivy's) company followed by Cheech Marin (Ignacio). Tony Shalhoub (Misha) plays an excellent part as the good hearted human. You root for him all the way through the movie.

You can't go wrong renting or buying this movie!!