Wild Canaries

Wild Canaries Photos

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Cast & Crew

Sophia Takal

Barri

Lawrence Michael Levine

Noah

Alia Shawkat

Jean

Annie Parisse

Eleanor

Jason Ritter

Damien

Kevin Corrigan

Anthony

Marylouise Burke

Sylvia

Lindsay Burdge

Annabell

Eleonore Hendricks

Molly

Jennifer Kim

Lori

Lawrence Michael Levine

Director

Lawrence Michael Levine

Screenwriter

Kim Sherman

Producer

Sophia Takal

Producer

John Baker

Producer

E. McCabe Walsh

Producer

Andrew Corkin

Executive Producer

Scott Chestman

Executive Producer

Michael Montes

Original Music

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Critics Consensus: Focus is Sleek and Slick But Too Twisty

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Critic Reviews for Wild Canaries

Audience Reviews for Wild Canaries

• Jul 21, 2015

  Unsure of what to make about this film. It's obvious that there's a lot of enthusiasm behind this project and it's clearly a labor of love from all of those involved. It's a tribute to old-school screwball murder mysteries, but I just don't think that the film really comes together in an entertaining fashion until much later in the film. It really gets going once both Noah and Barri join forces in their 'investigation' to figure out who's behind the conspiracy going on here. Prior to that, both Noah and Barri spend almost every scene together arguing and yelling at each other about something or another. Whether it be their economical situation, their lack of support for the other, their wedding, potential extramarital affairs, the fact that Barri is pursuing a murder investigation without any proof of one, etc, etc. It gets to a point where this couple is really just insufferable to listen to and parts of me wouldn't have minded if I shut off the movie. It's not that every film character should be likable, but you have to at least understand their motivations in acting they way they do, even if they're acting irrationally or annoying, as these two frequently do. And in some parts, I do see why they behave a certain way, but I still found them insufferable for, at least, 65% of the film. And I get the reasoning behind it, Noah and Barri's relationship needed a spark, and this murder investigation gave it to them, it just comes too late into the film to truly make an impact. This is one of those films that some will simply dismiss as a hipster-indie comedy and I don't think that's fair. While I didn't think it was good, it was really close to it by the end actually, I don't think there's any real 'pretentiousness' in the film itself, I think that people are letting the vibe of the film, or its trailer, take importance over the content of the film itself. You can't pass judgment based on your perception of the film without having seen it. I do think that as the film nears the end, everything starts coming together really nicely. They're really into the murder mystery and they're feeding you bits and pieces of information to keep you intrigued. The comedy also really clicked right around the same time. The best bits are just as the film is ending. It's not like there aren't any funny moments prior to that, it's just that they come with more frequency as the film reaches its climax. The writing is acceptable, at least as far as dialogue goes, the narrative itself doesn't really work until, as mentioned, it nears the climax. The acting is quite good, easily the best part of the film. I was really close to thinking this movie was good. It just didn't get there, unfortunately enough. This is a love it or hate it film. I think it's well-made, though it lacks some plot coherence that would've really taken it over the edge in the long run. Still, this is about as good as an average film can be.
  

  Super Reviewer
• Jul 18, 2015

  Levine's putting his own spin on one of Woody Allen's murder mystery comedies, substituting high strung Brooklyn hipsters for the neurotic Manhattan intellectuals of those films. It's rather amusing, even if some of the plot is undercooked.
  

  Super Reviewer