On B List of Movie Reviews
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Birdy (1984)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
6/25
6/25:
Birdy is a strange movie.
I'm confused: are Al Columbato and Birdy supposed to be closeted homosexual lovers? If that's a negative,
then what has attracted Al to Birdy? It can't be the birds, right?
Either way, Nicolas Cage and Matthew Modine have given outstanding performances although what the latter did
seems like a ploy to win an Oscar for Best Actor. Fans of the former should also check out
Racing with the Moon, which also starred Sean Penn, because it
feels like an extension of his character in a prequel way. And yeah, Nicolas Cage took out two of his front
teeth to play Al.
Birdy can't be borderline mentally retarded since he speaks too well. Is he a high-functioning autistic person
or perhaps somebody with Asperger syndrome? I'm not really sure. Perhaps mentally disturbed? Or can it be
depression that Birdy would rather be left alone by the world so he could focus on birds only? Eventually,
what happened during the Vietnam War has cracked his head wide open. I doubt he would've been allowed in the
military in the first place anyway.
I was going to give the movie a '9' until the last ten minutes happened. What a poor ending. It would've made
sense if Birdy flew himself to death. Sometimes, the dialogue isn't that good. It's just gibberish talk. Hence, the
screenplay needs to be refined a bit more. I like the mix of birds and the story that's similar to how it was
done in Equus but with horses. By the way, the guy who played Al's father should
be familiar to fans of Seinfeld, and it's Sandy Baron as Jack Klompus.
All in all, Alan Parker isn't an impressive filmmaker, but he did a good job with Birdy.