Bird

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Bird

R

Released Sep 30, 1988

2h 41m

Biography

History

Drama

Music

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

27 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Director Clint Eastwood, a noted jazz aficionado, directs this heartfelt study of pioneering bop saxophonist Charlie Parker (Forest Whitaker). Moving forward and backward through Parker's brief life before his death of a heroin overdose at age 34, the film foregrounds the saxophonist's difficult relationship with his wife, Chan Parker (Diane Venora), but also features lengthy scenes of Parker improvising on stage, lit with the neon and cigarette smoke of vintage jazz clubs.

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Critics Consensus

Forest Whitaker inhabits Charlie Parker with aplomb in this moving love letter to the music icon, told by director Clint Eastwood with a moody style that visually evokes the wistful rhythm of jazz.

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Richard Combs

Sight & Sound

What the film pulls off is the difficult fusion of this kind of accuracy with larger 'truths' which are no respecter of accuracy.

Jan 16, 2020

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Michael Wilmington

Los Angeles Times

In this movie and its hot, fast bursts of bop, Charlie Parker gets a fitting elegy.

Dec 11, 2018

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Variety Staff

Variety

Sensitively acted, beautifully planned visually and dynamite musically, this is a dramatic telling of the troubled life of a revolutionary artist.

Mar 26, 2009

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Chance Solem-Pfeifer

Willamette Week

The film slips into a level of dreamy, nonlinear creativity seldom found in Eastwood’s unfussy directorial style. Would-be framing devices become multidimensional narrative portals.

Jan 22, 2025

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Herb Boyd

The Crisis

Sure, the music is great, but it should have been placed in political and historical context. Bird did not wage the cultural revolution alone, nor did he fall from out of the sky.

Nov 14, 2023

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Terry Francis

Southern Voice (Atlanta)

Aside from Lennie Niehaus' superb work as musical supervisor... and Forest Whitaker and Diane Venora's performances in the lead roles, all you get are clichés and the film's superficial response to an artist's descent into self-destruction.

May 8, 2023

Full Review

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Istvan K

A supremely important American film, Bird is a near-masterpiece whose main flaw is the depressing and tragic nature of the story being told. Forest Whitaker gives a towering performance as Charlie Parker, a legend of American culture and art. A very underrated movie, hopefully never forgotten, that was massively snubbed by the Oscars.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/25

Full Review

Dallas H

Here we are with a biopic about Charlie Parker, a jazz musician with a drug addiction, and it was a flick directed by Clint Eastwood. I could not have guessed how well the film holds together until I saw it myself. I liked this movie. It's good!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/14/24

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Aender S

The biopic of a jazz legend depicted by one of my favourite actors directed by one of my favourite directors, what could go wrong?

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/11/24

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Eye C

A depressing movie for a depressing life. And there's no other way to make this movie. A well done film, but a little bit harsh to watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/26/24

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Audience Member

Eastwood is a good director and he captures Billy Bird to a tee. He inserts enough of a jazzy vibe reminiscent of the era. Forrest Whitaker is excellent too. Yet the film goes on so long and there’s a drab atmosphere that drains all joy from the viewing experience.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

10/01/23

Full Review

steve m

I don't get the high scores from Ebert, Metacritic, and Rotten Tomatoes. This movie was way too long. What was short was how Bird got to be Bird. What drove him to drugs and drink? What made him the musician he became? There's a little talk about it, but this is a movie, not a book, show me.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Clint Eastwood

Director

Forest Whitaker

Charlie 'Bird' Parker

Diane Venora

Chan Parker

Samuel E. Wright

Dizzy Gillespie

Keith David

Buster Franklin

Michael McGuire

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Synopsis

Director Clint Eastwood, a noted jazz aficionado, directs this heartfelt study of pioneering bop saxophonist Charlie Parker (Forest Whitaker). Moving forward and backward through Parker's brief life before his death of a heroin overdose at age 34, the film foregrounds the saxophonist's difficult relationship with his wife, Chan Parker (Diane Venora), but also features lengthy scenes of Parker improvising on stage, lit with the neon and cigarette smoke of vintage jazz clubs.

Director: Clint Eastwood
Producer: Clint Eastwood
Screenwriter: Joel Oliansky
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Brothers, The Malpaso Company
Rating: R
Genre: Biography, History, Drama, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 30, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.5M
Runtime: 2h 41m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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