Love Birds (2011)

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Two strong points: Rhys Darby doesn't try too hard to be funny the whole time and the duck is a real duck (though the sounds have been pitched and timed to fit nicely into the story line, as does the Queen soundtrack). Rhys thought he had a good life, till his girl walked out on him. She is clearly ambitious and thought the fact he was living in his parents' house (even though it's his and well located) showed he wouldn't offer her the life she craved. And with the perfect looks for a trophy wife you'd think she'd have moved on from there. Yet her attempt to catch his poseur friend is treated by him as a nice one-night stand (shortly before he goes broke) and then she wants to get back with Rhys and train him to satisfy her needs - is there such a shortage of upwardly mobile materially driven yuppies in Auckland, indeed NZ? Well good for you guys, you obviously have better values in life and that's what this film is about. At the beginning we saw a pair of Shelducks (that bond for life, we are told) being shot at. One of them lands on Rhys' roof, with a damaged wing, which starts a relationship that leads to Rhys broaden his perspectives. Part of that process leads him to meet zoologist Sally Hawking. Who has a son by her deceased former husband, a boy who is in no hurry to see his father replaced, least of all by the man who had treated him badly when he accused him of stealing the duck from the zoo. You can see where this is all headed and I can understand why Sally reacted badly when told Rhys had a dinner date with his ex. But heck, a reunion was the only thing he could dream of after she'd ditched him, and Sally's son did seem to be a big barrier to taking that relationship any further. But anyway, love conquers all, even the damaged wing of a bird we were told would never fly again. Maybe Rhys and the Shelduck weren't so different after all!

Loved it!!!! I think I must have grinned and smiled for almost the entire movie, interspersed with a few big laughs and also a couple of moments where I held my breath. Rhys Darby was excellent - I was already a fan of his from Flight of the Conchords and he didn't disappoint in this and held his own against the other actors. Bryan Brown was superb as well, although would have been great to have a few more quirky scenes with his character in them. I don't watch movies as often as I used to, so many times now after watching a movie I just feel like it was rubbish and a waste of time. This movie kept me engaged and entertained the whole time and I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed this warm-hearted little gem. An easy light-hearted and thoroughly engaging movie that anyone can enjoy. I wish they made more movies like this!

I quite like Rhys Darby and I do like Sally Hawkins, so seeing this at my local video store, had to get it out. I was blown away by its humour, good, gentle story and fine acting. Fabulous aerial shots of Auckland, and a very well-trained duck. Yes, it's a corny story, and it's not earth-shattering,(but then neither is the asteroid). For its genre, it ticks all the boxes and entertains along the way. The kids are polished performers too. It's made me want to get up in a hot-air balloon, which probably isn't a good thing, but it held my attention all the way through - and there are not many movies that do that today. Full marks to all concerned. Will be going out to buy this one.

I'm sick of the Hollywood version of the romantic comedy. It seems like all this time, Hollywood has been trying to get close to repeating the critical and commercial success of When Harry Met Sally – itself an attempt to pull off a more accessible version of Woody Allen's late-70s bittersweet romantic comedies. However, Hollywood tends to get it wrong each time, with either bad casting, a bad script, or a very dubious moral centre (or all three - step forward Made Of Honour).Away from the Hollywood version, Love Birds manages to entertain without leaving a bad aftertaste (the sort of guilt you usually feel after watching a romantic comedy when you realise you've just wasted 90 minutes of your life). Kiwi comedian Rhys Darby plays Doug, down-on-his-luck after being unceremoniously dumped by his long-term girlfriend. He finds solace in caring for an injured duck – also taken away from its partner – and this leads him to the supporting cast of Sally Hawkins and Bryan Brown.Both actors are as awesome as ever, and Darby – by trade a stand-up comedian and comedic actor – more than stands up against them, carrying the film on his shoulders. The film is set in Auckland, New Zealand and it serves as a good showcase of the city's key features. In fact, the Auckland tourism board should really pay this film some attention (if it hasn't done already).All in all, not the greatest film in the world, but a pretty entertaining one and a nice example of Kiwi filmmaking.