SummaryAfter two friends return home from the Vietnam War one becomes mentally unstable and obsesses with becoming a bird.
Directed By:Alan Parker
Written By:William Wharton, Sandy Kroopf, Jack Behr
Birdy
Metascore
Generally Favorable
71
User score
Generally Favorable
7.8
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
71
56% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
44% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
Birdy is one of those rare movies that successfully brings a psychological novel to the screen without sacrificing its saliency or complexity.
100
The strangest thing about Birdy which is a very strange and beautiful movie indeed, is that it seems to work best at its looniest level, and is least at ease with the things it takes most seriously.
80
Mr. Modine's performance is exceptionally sweet and graceful; Mr. Cage very sympathetically captures Al's urgency and frustration. Together, these actors work miracles with what might have been unplayable.
70
A trifle self-indulgent - well, it is directed by Alan Parker - but never boring.
50
Directed by Alan Parker, the movie takes itself inordinately seriously as a moral fable expressing eternal truths. It feels morose and unrelieved, despite the efforts of the two actors.
50
Belying the lightheartedness of its title, Birdy is a heavy adult drama about best friends and the after-effects of war, but it takes too long to live up to its ambitious premise.
40
In flashback, we see the pair's friendship develop through their childhood, but despite the film's heavily symbolic tone, little is revealed about either of the characters or indeed the Vietnam War.
User score
Generally Favorable
7.8
78% Positive
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
22% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Aug 22, 2021
5
The film has strong qualities present with both its subject matter and Matthew Modine's body language acting, but the dramatic lead character demands for an actor who can come across as believable for 90% of the film. Cage, does not.
Production Company:
- Tri-Star Pictures
- Delphi III Productions
- A&M Films
Release Date:Dec 21, 1984
Duration:2 h
Rating:R
Tagline:A soaring experience unlike anything you've ever seen before.
Awards
Cannes Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Warsaw International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
National Board of Review, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
