‘Paulie,’ a Movie That’s 14-Parrot Gold

In “Paulie,” a shy immigrant, working as a janitor, helps a wisecracking parrot (voice of Jay Mohr) end a coast-to-coast search for his original owner, a girl named Marie. (Rated PG)

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It’s hard to miss with a boy-and-his-dog story, especially when it arrives in a girl-and-her-parrot version, and features a talking pet whose honesty and vulnerability match his loyalty. The surprise is that many adults found themselves affected, even those who took their seats swearing to leave if the movie got too silly.

More than most animal movies, “Paulie” focuses on relationships--first, the intense bond between Marie, a stutterer with an impatient father and a mother who can’t cope, and the parrot who helps her speak confidently.

But after Marie tries to fly with Paulie from the roof, her parents sell the bird before moving the family from New York to Los Angeles. From then, Paulie travels cross country trying to find her, hooking up with an elderly widow (Gena Rowlands), a thief (Jay Mohr), an East L.A. cafe owner (Cheech Marin) and finally, a scheming university researcher (Bruce Davidson) who banishes the bird to the basement for refusing to speak.

The movie’s messages, about love and loss and when to speak up, were aimed mostly at more mature viewers. What captivated kids were the humorous avian antics.

Jonathan Liu, 10, of Irvine also appreciated the cross-country scenery--particularly when Paulie wings over the Grand Canyon at sunrise.

His brother David, 7, also liked the movie except for the kissing part. In the beginning, Marie kisses the baby Paulie on the beak. “It’s disgusting!” David complained.

Kelsey Ann Verellen, 8, of Irvine believed the bird could actually talk until she saw in the credits that an actor played the voice of Paulie.

Though Misha (Tony Shalhoub), a lovelorn Russian literature professor working as a janitor, eventually helps Paulie find Marie, the ending holds a twist that keeps it from total predictability.

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PARENTS’ PERSPECTIVE: Some adults were perturbed that Paulie cussed occasionally at his lab tormentors; others thought it was mild enough for their children.

Yvonne Tsai of Irvine said the movie was good for children because “it shows love between the actors and the birds.” She was also impressed by the realistic portrayal of emotions, particularly from Shalhoub, and situations.

“I thought it was going to be more of a simple movie, but it was actually quite sophisticated.”