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The Starling(2021)

PG-13

Movie1h 42mEnglishDrama

6.6

User Score

25%

Critic Score

Director: Theodore Melfi

Writer: Matt Harris

Where to Watch

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Overview

After a devastating loss, a woman tries to rebuild her daily life while her partner struggles to move forward. As she battles a stubborn bird that’s claimed her garden, unexpected support and small, messy moments begin to nudge them toward healing and hope.

Insights

Review Summary

Pros: emotional, hopeful story; strong lead performances; touching humor | Cons: slow, plodding pace; uneven tone; predictable, thin script

Will You Like This?

You may enjoy this if you want a heartfelt, bittersweet drama about grief, marriage, and small steps toward healing, with a touch of humor; Not for you if animal-related plot points or slow pacing frustrate you, like in Poms.

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Cast

Full Cast & Crew

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Melissa McCarthy

Lilly Maynard

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Chris O'Dowd

Jack Maynard

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Kevin Kline

Dr. Larry Fine

Timothy Olyphant

Travis Delp

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Daveed Diggs

Ben

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Skyler Gisondo

Dickey

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Laura Harrier

Sherri

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Kimberly Quinn

Regina

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Loretta Devine

Velma

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Jesse García

Hector

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Edi Patterson

Margie

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Emily Tremaine

Alice

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Rosalind Chao

Fawn

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Ravi Kapoor

Dr. Manmohan

Don McManus

Big Daddy

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Owen Atlas

Howie

Featured Comments/Tips

epikur

This one may be '"meh'" or whatever, but Melissa McCarthy is a damn good actress given a chance not to be overlooked or belittled in, you know, mainstream comedies. In fact, she is a gem and I really want to see her thespian talent widely challenged. I bet she has far more up her sleeve than common reception would like to suggest.

Lee Brown Barrow

The movie doesn’t quite work, sadly, despite great performances from Melissa and Chris. It’s not a waste of time though but don’t expect to be moved by the metaphors to life the film presents.

Astrid Galactic

This film contained some good comic relief moments, but not enough to carry the entire film. It's an emotional film, but more like something you'd see on one of those lame Lifetime channels.

SpeedDemon

This is a side splitting comedy...NOT!! Within the first 10 minutes I wanted to slit my wrists. Had to endure the entire train wreck because the wife wanted to watch this turd. This movie is so depressing the best possible scenario would have been the writer and director would have slit their wrists before this abomination got the green light to be made. 0/10

ArielRodriguez

Somewhat forced in the comedy but very effective in the drama. Not counting that there have been films in which animals help through the dueling process (Blue Penguin was on my mind the entire film), it is a good movie with great acting from Melissa McCarthy. I loved the final song, very accurate.

CinemanicBonkers

It wasn’t a bad film, felt it tried to hard to be sad but didn’t work, definitely could of been better but i did enjoy it and the cast did well also good message.

tpasi

This is a good movie! Melissa is great.

tgrbabydoll

MAGNIFICENT!! Great script, great characters, great actors, great directing!! Seriously out the ballpark. Deals with reality in a real and heartfelt way.

gota0502

Melissa did great in this role. Loved some of her subtle humour in the script. Good story about loss, it even gave me a few tears. They portrayed the relationship growth separately and together in a unique and captivating way. Saw a bunch of familiar faces too! Nicely done.

nftygirl

Too formulaic and predictable. Even McCarthy''s great delivery wasn''t enough to save it. It was okay to watch once and McCarthy did move me. I wouldn''t recommend though .

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Featured User Reviews

SpotaMovie.com

0/10

Full Analysis at https://www.spotamovie.com/ - **Intro**- The Starling is an American movie released in 2021. It belongs to the category of drama, and it lasts for one hour and forty-two minutes. The Starling let us connect with nature and rediscover the inner desire of love and life that we sometimes lose because of unfortunate events. We recommend watching the movie because it reminds us how fragile and strong we are at the same time. And to increase your strength, let us guide you through this story. - **The Story** - Lilly and Jack are a couple full of dreams and love for their baby Katie. But, unfortunately, due to a tragic event, their lives change, taking paths unthinkable for them. Life has the power to surprise us when we forget how something terrible but natural can easily break us. Therefore Lilly and Jack begin a personal journey among the paths of grieving, mental health and life to, hopefully, find a new destination. Interesting characters will try to support them. Among them, one is definitely unexpected but efficacious. Will Lilly and Jack be able to find their life again? Who is this mysterious character? And what is it going to teach us? - **Full Analysis** and Insights at https://www.spotamovie.com/the-starling-2021-movie-recommendation-and-analysis/

Peter McGinn

0/10

WHenever I see Melissa McCarthy in another non-comedic role, I get more and more impressed. She is still great at physical humor and delivering funny or ironic lines, but there are layers to her performances now. Her anger, frustration, sadness, all feel real to me. This movie could easily have been rated 6 stars by me with the wrong actress playing the role. Chris O’Dowd’s role is thankless at first; he gives a one-note performance because that is what the plot calls for. The man is entrenched in guilt and depression, so there he is. But later in the movie he is called upon to develop gradually as a character, and he quickly matches Ms. McCarthy’s textured performance. The supporting cast mostly are right on the mark as well. I don’t want to overstate it; this is not destined to be in my top ten movies ever, but it is pretty darn good and I would not change the TV if this comes on while I am cruising channels.

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