Movie Review # 360: Paulie (1998)

Now friends, based on what I said tonight’s review shall be in the above title, you may be wondering if I still am going through the 007 James Bond series at this point, yes? If you are, then fear not, because I still am. However, tonight, we are taking a short mini break from that, and diving into one of a few films that were released back in 1998 that I’m planning to rewatch (or in the case of 1998’s The Horse Whisperer, finally see for the very first time), and review in addition to continuing the James Bond marathon, and/or any other films that I see over the course of this year. With that said, let’s fly to New Jersey and California with a talking blue-crowned conure named Paulie by reviewing a film made by Dreamworks Picture, appropriately titled Paulie.

Plot: A blue-crowned conure parrot by the name of Paulie (Jay Mohr) gets adopted by a girl named Marie (Hallie Eisenberg), and her family when he’s just baby. However, when he gets older, circumstances get Paulie separated from his human family. With the help of new friends that he meets along the way, such as an elder woman named Ivy (Gena Rowlands), and a Russian US immigrant named Misha (Tony Shalhoub), can Paulie eventually reunite with his long lost human family once and for all?

Now, for those of you who haven’t seen this film before, you may thinking, “Oh gee, another family film with talking animals!” Well, for those of you who may feel that way, and decide to not to see Paulie because of that, then please reconsider! Why? Well, first off, the only animals to talk in this film is the main bird, Paulie. Granted, some of the other parrot characters talk too, but most of their dialogue consists of repeating what others, mainly humans, say. Second, for a film that has even one or two animals providing dialogue, Paulie seems to surprisingly act very mature. To begin, kids can learn quite a bit in this film, such as illegal immigrants, getting themselves immersed in Hispanic culture while watching this movie, and other things too. In addition to all of this, while you are watching this film, there are some really good lessons to take from this film. One of these is that not everyone that you meet can be trusted. Yes, many adults should learn this lesson by now, but it never hurts to be reassured of this lesson. Next, there’s the message about how we shouldn’t have a habit of putting certain dreams off until later on in life. That is since there may not be a later for some people, or even a tomorrow for some of us. Hence the saying, “Live life to the fullest!” In addition to some of these messages, there’s also the message about not giving up on your dreams even when the future may look gloomy for some people. Yeah, how about possibly drawing certain parallels between this film, and certain aspects of Joseph’s life in the Biblical account of Exodus, eh? Overall, for a family film, this one knows how to pack in some shockingly deep , and very mature themes. Additionally, it may be surprising to find that John Debney, who has done a vast array of musical scores for films, both children’s and adult films, composed the score for this film. Now, more often than not, Debney has known how to let the score such people into movies. Paulie is undoubtably one of those times where he succeeds in that. Next, Paulie really knows how to play with your emotions. When there’s a funny moment, you’re bound to laugh rather hard. Then, whenever there are the sad moments in this film, you’re bound to cry, or even come close to crying when those moments come along. Finally, 1998’s Paulie could possibly have the feel of films such as Disney/Pixar’s 2003’s Finding Nemo, but with a more mature side to it.

Well folks, that’s my review for the 1998 Dreamworks movie, Paulie. After rewatching this film for the first time in a long while last week, there is one question that I found myself asking “WHY ON EARTH DOESN’T DREAMWORKS MAKE MOVIES LIKE THIS ANYMORE?” OKAY, don’t get me, either of the Trolls films, and Boss Baby were decent. Also, Dreamworks has still pumped out a few good films like How To Train Your Dragon, The Croods, and films like those. Still, compared to what kinds of films made back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, to what types of films they’re creating now, or just comes to show that the quality of storytelling hasn’t exactly been at it’s best with Dreamworks movies as of recently. Really, it’s movies like Paulie, The Prince Of Egypt, Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimarron, and movies like those that Dreamworks should make again, not ones like Trolls, and just mediocre films like those. If there’s any way that Dreamworks could go back to when they made really good films like Paulie, they most definitely should. If you’re reading this review, and haven’t seen Paulie yet, make it a point to do so ASAP. You’d be amazed by the lessons that can be learned, and the overall great quality of storytelling when watching this film.

Final Grade: A+