Movie Review: Pretty Bird
Curtis Prentiss shows up on the doorstep of his best friend Kenny with plans for a rocket belt that will fly a human being through the air. The rocket belt has never worked successfully before, but Curtis is determined to find an engineer who will make it work. Curtis finds that genius in recently out of work Rick, a not warm and fuzzy guy who has been put down by “The Man” just a few two many times. The three aspiring entrepreneurs put everything they have into Prentiss’s blueprint of a rocket belt. The resulting chain of events brings out the flaws in each of the partners. As Kenny and Rick invest their time and money, they begin to question what value Curtis, a long time loser, brings to the project.
I rented this movie to see Paul Giamatti, who ended up being the best thing in the movie, giving a dark and sullen performance. Giamatti, who play evil genius Rick the engineer, likes roles in dark comedies and independent films. I wish I could say I liked this movie more. I got it in terms of the plot, I just don’t think the story and script lived up to the talent of the actors. The cast did a good job with what they had to work with, and I did like Billy Crudup (Curtis) and David Hornsby (Kenny) performances as well. The movie really needed something and I think that something bottom line was a better screenplay.
If you are a Giamatti fan you will enjoy his performance, but I can’t really recommend Pretty Bird otherwise. It’s weird, its a strange comedy, and perhaps if you enjoy oddball films this one might be for you.
2008. Directed by Paul Schneider. Starring Paul Giamatti, Billy Crudup, David Hornsby, John Behlmann, and Anna Camp.
Rating: 
