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Paulie

Play trailer Poster for Paulie PG Released Apr 17, 1998 1h 31m Kids & Family Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
62% Tomatometer 37 Reviews 55% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
A parrot at an animal research lab tells his life story to a janitor (Tony Shalhoub) who tries to help him escape.
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Paulie

Critics Reviews

View All (37) Critics Reviews
Todd McCarthy Variety Paulie has moments of minor charm but lacks the magic to fully capture the imaginations of either children or adults. May 12, 2008 Full Review Lisa Alspector Chicago Reader Shalhoub gives an impressively nuanced performance in the dangerously cliched role, and Paulie -- a combination of trained parrots, animatronics, and the voice of Mohr -- comes across as a fully developed character. May 12, 2008 Full Review Globe and Mail Rated: 2.5/4 Apr 12, 2002 Full Review Tracy Moore Common Sense Media Talking bird on a coming-of-age journey with some peril. Rated: 4/5 Mar 1, 2013 Full Review Film4 True family entertainment that caters for grown-ups as much as for kids. May 12, 2008 Full Review Maitland McDonagh TV Guide The story is rooted in real feelings and relationships, and parents will find as much to enjoy as children. Rated: 3.5/4 May 12, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (712) audience reviews
David S This movie is awesome I love this movie, Paulie is such a good movie they did a great job mixing real parrots with animatronics and computer animation(if any) you can barely tell what is what since they did such a good job making it look so real you would actually believe that the real bird was saying all that, but we all know he did not. This is a movie I hope the whole family will enjoy I did. It's a heartwarming movie about the bond between pet and owner and the bond between friends(in this case it's bird and human). The acting, story, special effects, directing and music is great in this movie. If you have not seen this movie then I recommend you do. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/22/24 Full Review Audience Member We've heard a parrot sat Polly wanna cracker but not this bird Tony Shaloub, Gena Rowlands, Bruce Davidson, Jay Mohr, and Cheech Marin A green parrot named Paulie befriends a newly hired janitor named Misha (this bird can actually speak human!) He's being held in an animal testing laboratory by Dr. Reingold but he views this animal as a failure Misha discovers Paulie's special ability but warns him talking out loud gets him into trouble Paulie then discusses his life story when he had an owner named Marie when she was a little girl but her parents wanted her to have actual human friends so they sold Paulie off Misha then decides to liberate him by setting him free and tracking Marie down even though it's been years Paulie comes across other colorful characters in the meantime This is a lovable children's movie about a little bird trying to find his way home It's funny cause Paulie is a sour mouth and he's afraid to fly but we love him anyways because he wants to go back to his original owner This is a harmless, inoffensive and cute animal picture An example of simple, emotional storytelling that's not too complicated and the adults will appreciate it like the kids Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/18/24 Full Review Taylor C It's a fun and very heartfelt movie, great for kids and adults alike. Unique without being corny. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/13/24 Full Review Kimberly F The reason I gave it, 4 star rating. Cause that bird is really cute, and the story is written out very well. I also loved other birds too. Since I'm not a bird lover, but they can be cute. As long behave themselves. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/05/23 Full Review Ruby C This is one of the few movies that makes me cry and smile…every time! A story about a little conure that finds himself lost and then found, traveling across the USA to find his first owner, Marie. This movie is a rare gem that I truly believe will win the heart of whom ever watches it ❤️ Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/21/23 Full Review Audience Member We've heard a parrot sat Polly wanna cracker but not this bird Tony Shaloub, Gena Rowlands, Bruce Davidson, Jay Mohr, and Cheech Marin A green parrot named Paulie befriends a newly hired janitor named Misha (this bird can actually speak human!) He's being held in an animal testing laboratory by Dr. Reingold but he views this animal as a failure Misha discovers Paulie's special ability but warns him talking out loud gets him into trouble Paulie then discusses his life story when he had an owner named Marie when she was a little girl but her parents wanted her to have actual human friends so they sold Paulie off Misha then decides to liberate him by setting him free and tracking Marie down even though it's been years Paulie comes across other colorful characters in the meantime This is a lovable children's movie about a little bird trying to find his way home It's funny cause Paulie is a sour mouth and he's afraid to fly but we love him anyways because he wants to go back to his original owner This is a harmless, inoffensive and cute animal picture An example of simple, emotional storytelling that's not too complicated and the adults will appreciate it like the kids Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Paulie

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis A parrot at an animal research lab tells his life story to a janitor (Tony Shalhoub) who tries to help him escape.
Director
John Roberts
Producer
Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn, Allison Lyon Segan
Screenwriter
Laurie Craig
Distributor
DreamWorks SKG, United International Pictures
Production Co
Mutual Film Company, DreamWorks SKG
Rating
PG
Genre
Kids & Family, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 17, 1998, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$27.0M
Runtime
1h 31m
Sound Mix
SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio
35mm
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