You're thinking something along the lines of "a schmaltzy movie about a talking parrot. Puh-leeeeeez!" I had somewhat the same reaction when I came across this on cable. Then I looked at the cast and said to myself, gee, how bad can a script be when Gena Rowlands and Tony Shaloub sign on? And my gosh, there's Buddy Hacket, in his last full length studio movie. To cut to the chase, this is the kind of movie the Disney Studios used to make; a charming, witty, sentimental movie with appeal for the whole family, and a few life lessons thrown in for good measure. I was totally enchanted (and I'm 72!) and the movie made me forget my cynicism. Is it a "feel good" movie? For sure. And can't we do with a few more feel-good movies, as opposed to movies that, after seeing them, you either feel like taking a shower or hanging yourself (or both, in that order)?
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rupie4 July 2018
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German-54 August 2003I'm no fan of newer movies, but this one was a real pleasure to watch. Adults and children could watch it together - how unusual! My aunt liked it, too. It had laughter, tears, love, adventure, special effects, good actors - and a talking parrot. It reminded me of a favourite, The Wizard of Oz. The hero, Paulie, an intelligent parrot, is separated from his home and family and goes through many adventures, temptations and disappointments, always keeping in mind his resolution to find his friend, Marie. Highly recommended.
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chipcoffey16 January 2004Paulie 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!
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raymond-1523 August 2004A sentimental story with a sentimental sound track. It's about a little girl ( with a voice impediment ) who treasures her green parrot Paulie. The parrot thinks and talks like a human being and gives help and advice to his constant companion.
The parrot is definitely the star of the film. At times mischievous and at times in fits of depression the bird captures the mood in a most remarkable and expressive way. The synchronised voice too is very well done and within a minute or two you can actually believe that this intelligent little bird exists.
Early in the film her father gives the bird to a pawnbroker and the subsequent scenes tell the story of Paulie's constant struggle over many years to be re-united with his mistress. One of the many memorable scenes is when he falls into bad company and is encouraged to spy on people using the automatic teller machines. Paulie it seems has a phenomenal memory.
The ending is predictable, but who would want it otherwise. Children will love this film and anybody who keeps a bird as a pet will delight in Paulie's antics. -
barnabyrudge11 September 2003Paulie sounds like the most saccharine, lachrymose and sentimental garbage you could ever find, yet it's actually much better than you might expect. The daftness of the plot could so easily have set the tone for the whole film, but actually in most other departments the film is charming.
In case you're wondering, Paulie is a parrot. Bought for a little girl with speech difficulties, Paulie becomes her best friend and goes everywhere with her. He even sits on her shoulder during speech therapy lessons, and eventually becomes a super-intelligent speaker himself. However, Paulie is sent away by the little girl's mother and he spends the rest of the film trying to get from N.Y.C to L.A to be re-united with her.
So, why does this awful-sounding film succeed relatively well? Firstly, it boasts some interesting and impressive animatronic effects. Secondly (and far more significantly) it has the courage to embrace its ludicrous premise and tells a genuinely moving, often humourous story without worrying too much about the obvious flaws in the storyline. Thirdly, it has several surprisingly strong performances, including Jay Mohr as a wily crook, Gena Rowlands as a kind old lady, and Cheech Marin (yes, the dope-smoking Cheech Marin!) as a musical immigrant. It might not be a classic, but Paulie is sound entertainment for kids of all ages. -
sipreana10 October 1999I know, I know: it's childish. But I just love this type of movie. A bird that suffered a lot of "mishaps" and still hasn't lost his faith in humanity and his sense of humor. What's special about this film is the fact that the main character is Paulie -the parrot- and he's not used as a boost to some hotshot human actor. Furthermore I like the storyline: Paulie tells his lifestory to a cleaner at the point he hit rock bottom. (By the way: Jay Mohr's voice almost sounds like Joe Pesci's!). And Cheech Marin of course, the man IS humor to me. Ever since I saw "Up in Smoke" I have appreciated his naive way of performing, making a simple situation a hilarious one.. can't help myself.
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Quinoa198413 May 2000Paulie wouldn't be as good if it didn't have Jay Mohr. He brings charm and charisma to the screen that only a comedian from Verona, NJ can have. The story surrounds a parrot named Paulie (voiced by Mohr) who can talk (not mimic like other parrots, he insults) and his mouth gets him in trouble as he goes across the county to find his owner, Marie. In this search he meets Gena Rowlands, Jay Mohr, Cheech Marin, and Bruce Davison. And his journey is a nice adventure for both kids and parents. I liked it. Best kids film of 1998. A
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Somehow, this movie manages to be invigorating, bittersweet, and heartwarming at the same time. Stars like Tony Shalhoub (from Providence) bring the tale to life. The story itself is inspiring. We see a desperate, up-and-down life through the most innocent eyes imaginable: a bird's.
Paulie begins his life as a baby parrot given to a little girl (played by Hallie Eisenberg, also known as the Pepsi girl) with a speech impediment. While she learns to speak correctly, so does Paulie. However, unlike most birds, he can speak and understand everything being said. The military father doesn't like the bird, so he is sent to a pawn shop and bought by an aging artist, Ivy. She teaches him manners, etc., while traveling across the country to find Paulie's owner. The movie continues with several twists of fate, until Paulie ends up at a laboratory where he is eventually hidden away in a basement, and found by a Russian custodian, who is touched by the bird's story. the plot is in keeping with the simple, metaphorical theme that language is a gift, and a curse. I would like to say that the soundtrack is astounding. A beautiful mixture of flute, digital base, and horns enhance the movie to the point of pure ecstasy. The sweeping camera angles and breathtaking scenery beautify the story even more. And, as a final remark, the puppetry is entirely believable. (Unlike in star wars, where Yoda resembles a Muppet) This film is one of my favorite movies, with the added remark that my wonderful parakeet of four years died recently. Overall, I give this movie **** out of four stars, two thumbs up, and a big hug. -
SnoopyStyle19 July 2020New janitor Misha Vilyenkov (Tony Shalhoub) finds intelligent talking parrot Paulie (Jay Mohr) locked in the basement. Paulie starts recounting his life with a little girl named Marie Alweather (Hallie Eisenberg). Ivy (Gena Rowlands) tries to return him to Marie who moved to L.A. In L.A., he encounters taco truck owner Ignacio (Cheech Marin), gets birdnapped by Benny (Jay Mohr), and sent to scientist Dr. Reingold (Bruce Davison).
This follows a long line of Hollywood animals traveling long distances to find their owners. I like this for the most part. Girlie Eisenberg is adorable. The Gena Rowlands bit is really sad. It's an emotionally powerful start to the journey. If the movie stayed at that level, this would be a great family film. It runs into trouble once it gets to L.A. One Jay Mohr is fine. Double Jay Mohr is annoying. Most of the L.A. section should be replaced with Paulie having road adventures, saving the innocent, and learning life lessons. It needs more Gena Rowlands or people like Gena Rowlands. I do like the ending more than I expected. This is mostly a fine family film. -
jboothmillard31 December 2008I knew it was about a talking parrot, but that's about it, and truly, that's all it is. So Paulie (Small Soldiers' Jay Mohr) is the intelligent parrot (a Blue-crowned Parakeet/Conure to exact) has learnt to talk extremely well, and actually have a personality. So in the film, he is given as a gift to little Marie Alweather (Hallie Kate Eisenberg), but then he is taken away by her father Warren (Matt Craven) when she believes he can talk more just a couple of words. So the rest of the film sees Paulie have some mini adventures with a pawn shop owner, an old widow, a Mexican-American guy and a thief. That's all I can say really. Starring The Notebook's Gena Rowlands as Ivy, Men in Black's Tony Shalhoub as Misha Vilyenkov, Richard 'Cheech' Marin as Ignacio, Bruce Davison as Dr. Reingold, Mohr as Benny, Trini Alvarado as Adult Marie, Buddy Hackett as Artie and Bill Cobbs as Virgil the Janitor. To be honest, this is only a good film to see a parrot talking, and obviously some quite naughty things, the kids will approve, but the older viewer might not care about all going on. It won the BAFTA Children's Award for Best Children's Feature Film. Okay!
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Southmark12 June 2004Something 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!! -
mark.waltz10 January 2024That's what Tony Shalhoub inquires when he goes to work in a science lab where he encounters a talking parakeet (voiced by Jay Mohr who sounds like Joe Pesci) whom scientist Bruce Davison insists only mimics. Of course, Paulie only talks to whom he wants to talk to, and that includes his former owner, the sweet Gena Rowlands, and Shalhoub who's frustrated that he can't get anyone to believe him.
It's a bird's world, and we only live underneath it, and the Russian immigrant Shalhoub gets to hear Paulie's story. The travels of this amazing exotic bird from the little girl who takes it everywhere she goes to the lonely Rowlands is both funny and touching, and features amusing supporting performances by Cheech Marin and Buddy Hackett. Definitely one for the family, with young Hallie Eisenberg an absolute scene stealer. -
emilie860517 December 2003In the average "tail" of the talking bird who switches owners really fast after the first true owner, who is like 6 or 7, had to get rid of him because the dad finds that the bird could be affecting her ideas of fantasy and reality.. the movie had tacky motives that the bird has to do while traveling the usa, and the people that he meets up with are so messed up, and the only one that had an effect of me (**SPOILER**) was the slowly blinding old woman, who was attempting to teach the foul-mouthed bird to lighten up on the language. she was a great soul for having the nerves to treat the bird to learn on it's own. the movie was, other than that, an average movie that a five year old would get a kick out of because the bird could talk. they could get that on that pbs show with the big bird.. whats his name? big bird! so watch him talk, and that could increase their education. (D+ D)
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elcinematico31 December 2003This is a really heart-warming family movie. It has absolutely brilliant animal training and "acting" (if you can call it like that) as well (just think about the dog in "How the Grinch stole Christmas"... it was plain bad training). The Paulie story is extremely well done, well reproduced and in general the characters are really elaborated too. Not more to say except that this is a GREAT MOVIE!
My ratings: story 8.5/10, acting 7.5/10, animals+fx 8.5/10, cinematography 8/10.
My overall rating: 8/10 - BIG FAMILY MOVIE AND VERY WORTH WATCHING! -
boblipton22 July 2020It's a really sweet little story about a talking parrot. No, really, not a parrot that can imitate sounds, but one that can hold conversations and think, and talks like Jay Mohr doing a Buddy Hackett imitation, which is who voices the parrot. He's bonded with a little girl, whose parents gave him away, and he spends the movie trying to get back, dealing with people like Gena Rowlands, Buddy Hackett (the real one in his last screen role), Jay Mohr and Bruce Davison as an evil blond scientist.
Unlike many children's fantasy movies, this one succeeds by just getting along with its story and its details of incidents along the way, Paulie narrating his biography to Tony Shalhoub. With a good fantasy gimmick, you don't need to load on the content, and this movie does it well. -
anaconda-406584 June 2015Paulie (1998): Dir: John Roberts / Cast: Tony Shalhoub, Gena Rowlands, Jay Mohr, Richard Cheech Marin, Bruce Davison: Family film that will appeal to adults more than children. Paulie is a parrot taken from his owner after she falls off a roof. Through a series of events he is locked up in a basement in an institute because he refused to be exploited. Interesting concept divided into various encounters and an ending that seems too conventional. Director John Roberts does his best and aided with beautiful photography. Tony Shalhoub brings a warm sincerity as a janitor whose life is perfectly ordinary until he encounters Paulie. He goes unbelieved when he attempts to inform others about the bird's voice but decides to listen to his story. His role will be to help Paulie's voice be heard as oppose to exploited. Gena Rowlands is pleasant as a woman who first purchases Paulie. She will assist him in finding his owner until she loses her sight and eventually her life. Jay Mohr is terrific as a thief with specific plans for Paulie but the role is abruptly cut off. Richard Cheech Marin plays a parrot owner who uses Paulie for an act before he is stolen by Mohr. Perhaps the one role that is disappointing is Bruce Davison's villain, a research scientist. Young children will likely find this film depressing but adults will appreciate the strong animal rights message that flies high. Score: 7 ½ / 10
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I have seen this film numerous times and for the life of me, I cannot understand why some people compare this to BABE. This film is not about the secret life of ALL animals who secretly can talk. Instead, it is about a Parrot who learns to talk to help his owner, a little girl with a serious stammer, overcome her speech impediment only to be separated from her in a heart-wrenching scene early on. Then the great journey begins. Paulie the Parrot sets out to try and find his one great friend, Marie.
Along the way, he meets several wonderful people and numerous nasty people. He falls in love with a girl parrot and loses her. He gets conned into a life of crime and then captured by a bad scientist who wants to exploit him.
He recounts his tale to a sympathetic Janitor in the Lab who agrees to help him escape and find his beloved Marie.
Tony Shaloub shines as the kindly Janitor who has an open mind and big heart and who determines to help little Paulie despite the risks. Jay Mohr plays the voice of the Parrot AND one of the seedy characters he comes across.
There is a little suggestive language but this film is appropriate for most kids and even more so if the parents join in on the fun and watch too. It is a witty, clever, epic animal-adventure story and ultimately a great love story about a Bird and his little girl. He search for Marie ends with a quite an unexpected surprise for most people who don;t know much about Parrots.
Kids who have seen the wild Green Parrot Tribes in Los Angeles and Pasadena will especially benefit from seeing this film and understanding that Birds, especially Parrots are not disposable pets. All children everywhere, will see that Pets form deep attachments themselves and that the love and loyalty of a dog or parrot is a gift to be treasured.
so no BABE here, more of an incredible journey with a twist.
Enjoy and try no to tear up during the sad parts. -
lee_eisenberg10 May 2006Some people might call "Paulie" a kids' movie, but I wish to assert that it's more than that. Probably more than anything else, this movie successfully goes to great lengths to show the plight of immigrants in the United States - topical given the recent debates. Portraying a parrot telling a Russian immigrant janitor (Tony Shalhoub) of how he searched America for his original owners, the movie tells several stories. There's the elderly woman (Gena Rowlands) whom he befriends, then a Mexican immigrant (Cheech Marin), and others.
All in all, it's a very well done movie. I usually don't expect much from these sorts of movies, but this one is a treat. I certainly recommend it. Also starring Jay Mohr, Buddy Hackett, Bruce Davison, Hallie Eisenberg and Trini Alvarado. -
sandyode25 October 1998This was the best family movie - that wasn't animated - that I've seen in a long time. The story was endearing - a young girl with a speech problem receives a parrot for a pet. The bird helps Marie, the young girl, to overcome her speech problem but helps her into a bit of trouble too. Marie's father thinks it would be best if the girl was parted from her pet. Immediately after their separation Paulie is on a quest to be reunited with his Marie. He touches the lives of so many people along the way and touched my life as I watched the story unfold. Great acting and great story line. It's a definite "see it more than once" film.
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PinoyMan2 January 1999This is absolutely the best none-animated family film I've seen in quite a while, back to the first Homeward Bound. Paulie is a humerous movie about life through a parrot's POV. It's a really touching movie and ranks high among family films, up to Disney status, IMHO.
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man-217 September 1998Paulie was cute, cool, enjoyable and quite fulfilling. I went to this movie expecting to view a typical "family" movie, one that within moments would find me unconscious and drooling on the floor. My mindframe immediately changed when I was quickly captivated by the movie's wholesomeness. It is rare that you find a family movie that is thorough and can be coined "wholesome". Most are cheaply made, written and produced purely to attract young family members, who'll then drag the unfortunate elders to a mind numbing 65 minutes of overused sight gags and plots.
Oh yes, Paulie had a plot. It told the story of a young girl(Marie) and her best friend Paulie the parrot, who unbelievably could talk and quite frequently held conversations with her. Marie's dorky jerk father found this unbelievable, and thought Paulie to be damaging to his 4-year old daughter's mental health, and quickly tore them apart. We follow Paulie's adventures (and misadventures) as he attempts to reunite with his beloved owner, meeting many memorable characters along the way. Oh yeah, Paulie really could (smart)talk and had a swift New Jersey accent. Cool. The plot held thick and entertaining throughout, keeping me attracted. Paulie is the best family movie I have found and wholeheartedly enjoyed. Ever. Seriously. Pick up a copy and sit back and enjoy a true family movie, with the whole family. No sleeping. I promise. -
anita-2410 April 2000I gladly admit it, I own a copy of this movie. My 3 year old daughter and I watch it frequently. We also enjoy the "Marie" Pepsi commercials, as a result of this movie. But I almost didn't buy it, because I was afraid it would break my heart. I raised a parrot that looked a lot like Paulie, and I could never bring myself to see the movie because I missed my bird so much. Sure enough, when I saw it the first time, I cried all the way through, because I loved Paulie's heart. And I laughed so hard through my tears that I couldn't remember if I was laughing or crying. I found myself singing along with the birds at the taco stand, and I knew I had to see it again. And again. So I bought the movie, and got my little girl hooked. Sure, I still cry at some of the really sad parts, but I laugh more than ever, and I'm brushing up my Spanish at the same time! If you've ever loved an animal or a child, see this movie.
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mirceac4 December 2001This movie brought tears to my eyes; John Roberts really knew how to get to viewers' hearts, directing this wonderful picture where life is viewed through the mind and heart of Paulie. We discover from time to time, with the help of sensitive and talented directors like John, that even small creatures like Paulie have a heart. I just couldn't stop my tears, even though the film has a happy end. This is great, after thousands of films I saw through my life, "Paulie" really touched me deeply. This is, after the "Ugly Duckling", the second picture that really turned me upside down.
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OLGtearose13 May 2003I don't know who could find fault with a simply human and funny film like this with lots of delights for your heart. I enjoyed each minute of it and guessed the ending half way through the movie -- but that did not disappoint me at all. It will not only touch your heart but it's such a good family friendly film--we need many more like these!