Bird

R

Released Sep 30, 1988

2 hr. 41 min.

Biography

History

Drama

Music

List

77%

26 Reviews

Tomatometer

79%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

decadepast d

Charlie Parker looked like Buddha.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/04/23

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

r 9

I personally found 'Bird' - directed by Clint Eastwood - to be an absolute slog to sit through. It's an interesting story no doubt, but it's told in the most mundane and boring way possible. I didn't know anything about Charlie Parker beforehand, which is what kept that aforementioned interest there. I'm no jazz fan either, but I am always happy to listen to it when it comes up though. Despite that, I just couldn't get into the film itself. It just felt like it was 160 minutes (!) worth of the following on repeat: performance, drunk and/or depressed, performance, drunk and/or depressed etc. I didn't feel like I was learning anything about Parker and his life. I literally gave an internal cheer when the credits finally rolled around. I do enjoy Forest Whitaker as an actor and he is probably the reason I'm not rating this lower. As for the rest, I don't even recall any of them - though I'm putting that down to what I've already noted, as opposed to the cast themselves who I'm sure tried their upmost. Way too long, in short. As I said it's an intriguing person to make a film about, an around 100 minute production would've been perfect in my opinion. A shame, all in all.

Rated 2 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

Brewster

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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

Full Review

Michael Wilmington

Los Angeles Times

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

Dec 11, 2018

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Tom Cassidy

Common Sense Media

People who don't like jazz often complain it's overlong, complicated, noodling, and meandering. These criticisms can all be leveled at director Clint Eastwood's Bird, who, unlike a jazz master, doesn't back up his work with any inventive flair.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 1, 2021

Full Review

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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
Executive Producer: David Valdes
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Brothers
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
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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