The Starling

Audience Reviews

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Julie C @RT21024435 Apr 16 Wow, the critics are harsh on this film! It's not perfect, but it's certainly no turkey. It's a simple film about loss and grief and recovery. The performances are gentle and heartfelt, the wonderful Kevin Kline is unfortunately underutilised. It's an enjoyable watch if you don't mind a somewhat slow-paced film with a thoughtful tone. See more Maria D @RT00202431 Mar 11 A very good movie about grief, mental health and how both shape people affected by it. Anyone who has been affected by mental illness or has lost someone will relate. It’s filled with realistic characters for the most part, Chris O’Dowd as Jack is amazing. He nails the character who is wandering aimlessly through a mental hospital without really fully understanding what he’s doing there. Melissa McCarthy is always a pleasure to watch. As someone who navigates her way through her grief, her character is very honest. See more Emily E @Emilyelsie Mar 2 Grief is such a funny thing. In that it’s not funny at all, but at the same time laugh-out-loud ridiculous. I’ve been on both sides of the grief depicted in this movie. And for me it was the most charming, perfectly delightful way to connect with those experiences. Taking place a long time after the ‘event’, the script allows a frank view of long-term grief - not just what happens in the immediate aftermath, but the effects that last longer and reshape you as people and as a married couple. I can see why some people thought it was manipulative or heavy-handed. But… so is grief. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Melissa McCarthy act so beautifully before, and honestly - despite the clearly CGI/AI bird, this film was captivating, heartbreaking, completely engrossing and just marvellous. I don’t think I could watch it again because some films are meant to be experienced once, but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anybody. With forewarning about the bird. See more Linda K @Issochick Feb 12 It dealt with some very heavy topics in a sensitive and gentle way; that felt real. And the humor was quirky and subtle. I loved it. I think the use of comedy actors in this movie was brilliant and showed their broad range / ability. Absolute fav that I’ll remember for a long time. See more Tammy L @Aktam Jan 30 This movie is so slow and dreary. I kept thinking something worthwhile was going to tie it altogether, but alas it never happened. Huge waste of an hour and a half of my life. See more Bonnie M @BonnieM Dec 30 I loved this movie. I really just don’t understand the poor rating. I thought it portrayed loss grief depression avoidance and on the flip side patience persistence resilience and the long rode to healing so well. I was alternately laughing and crying the whole movie. Melissa McCarthy Kevin Kline and Chris Owd were all perfectly cast and I thought they gave flawless performances. I didn’t find it sappy at all. I found it emotional and tragic and touching and frustrating - just like life. I literally created my rotten tomatoes account just to give this review because I thought this movie did not get a fair shake. If you like movies that depict normal people overcoming the heartbreak that often occurs in life - but also portrays the love humor and absurdity of life and human reaction to it - this movie is for you. See more Read all reviews

The Starling

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