Little Birds

R

Released Aug 29, 2012

1h 36m

Drama

List

59%

Tomatometer

22 Reviews

42%

Audience Score

1,000+ Ratings

A restless teen (Juno Temple) convinces her best friend (Kay Panabaker) to help her steal a vehicle and head to Los Angeles, where she hopes to find the skateboarder (Kyle Gallner) with whom she experienced her first kiss.

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Betsy Sharkey

Los Angeles Times

Though the plotting is problematic and at times as lost as the kids, there are bursts of brilliance and moments of aching vulnerability in "Little Birds" that make you wonder what the filmmaker might do next.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 13, 2012

Full Review

Farran Smith Nehme

New York Post

The dreamy shots of a poisoned sea in "Little Birds" show an imagination sorely missing from its drab plot and characters.

Rated: 1.5/4

Aug 31, 2012

Full Review

Ian Buckwalter

NPR

Despair may be an emotion of emptiness, of the absence of hope, but that doesn't mean a movie about someone spiraling down into that emotion has to feel so empty as well.

Rated: 5/10

Aug 30, 2012

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

A Sundance Lab creation, Elgin James' debut, Little Birds is a strong first effort, one borne primarily from an interesting mutation of the professed director's own life experiences.

Jul 30, 2019

Full Review

Olivia Saperstein

Bust Magazine

What helps Little Birds retain its innocence is the girls' mixed sense of fear and liberation that comes from their new experience.

Oct 5, 2016

Full Review

Giovanni Fazio

Japan Times

There have been a bunch of films about teen girls with a wild streak getting in over their heads, and Little Birds isn't all that different, though it does have a bit more of a sense that this is the teen feeling it, not the adult looking back.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jun 10, 2016

Full Review

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Audience Member

This is your average indie film. It felt like I've seen it before and I was tired of it after 15 minutes.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Another poor attempt to try and retell a tired old story. The protagonist is unlikable and never once did I feel a bit of pity. The way the movie seems to glorify misey as the romantic part of coming of age is insipid. The teens are so sterotypical it is sad. The idiot, the thug, the sweet kid, the psycho girl and her best friend that doesn't give up on her. Please her friend would have left her about five minutes in for being such a bitch. Finally I love how at the end she forgives her for being horrible to her. No girl in real life would ever do thay. Are we supposed to applaud her foe the abuse she is willing to take. Finally I love how the ending has no consequences just two friends at the beach back to normal.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Little Birds is a coming of age story, with Lily (filled with rebellion and angst), and Alison (the loveable, mousey tag along). The two are growing bored of their hometown, set in the Salton Sea, where they meet some audacious teenagers who invite them into their world. The story seems inadvertently familiar at first, then proves to be refreshingly unique once the adventure begins. There is unexpected suspense, with notable cinematography and music selection that pulls everything together.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

decent coming of age flick. runaway girls of to see sum boys. climaxing in robbery gone wrong and one of the girls saving the day shooting the crazy guy

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The movie ends exactly where it begins and makes the whole thing a waste of time.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Juno Temple is a great actress and this role was unexpected for her. That's about it.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

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Elgin James

Director

Juno Temple

Lily Hobart

Kay Panabaker

Alison

Neal McDonough

Hogan

Kyle Gallner

Jesse MacNamara

Chris Coy

David

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Little Birds: Official Clip - I Kissed That Boy

2:13

Little Birds: Official Clip - The Pyscho

2:13

Little Birds: Official Clip - The Train's Coming

2:12

Little Birds: Official Clip - The Pervert

2:13

Little Birds: Official Clip - Shoplifting

2:13

Little Birds: Official Clip - I Don't Know Anything

1:43

Little Birds: Official Clip - Saving Lily

2:13

Little Birds: Official Clip - Making Out

2:13

Little Birds: Official Clip - Things Have Changed

2:13

Little Birds: Official Clip - Apologize to the Girls

2:13

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Synopsis

A restless teen (Juno Temple) convinces her best friend (Kay Panabaker) to help her steal a vehicle and head to Los Angeles, where she hopes to find the skateboarder (Kyle Gallner) with whom she experienced her first kiss.

Director: Elgin James
Producer: Jamie Patricof, Alan Polsky, Gabe Polsky
Screenwriter: Elgin James
Distributor: Millennium Entertainment
Production Co: Polsky Films, Sundial Pictures, Hunting Lane Films
Rating: R (Some Violence|Drug and Alcohol Use|A Sexual Assault|All Involving Teens|Pervasive Language|Sexuality/Nudity)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 29, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 22, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $16.6K
Runtime: 1h 36m

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