The Starling

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2:39

The Starling

PG-13

Released Sep 17, 2021

1h 44m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

20%

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92 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

After Lilly (Melissa McCarthy) suffers a loss, a battle with a territorial bird (The Starling) over dominion of her garden provides an unlikely avenue for her grief and the courage to heal her relationships and rediscover her capacity for love.

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Critics Consensus

Burying its talented cast and worthy themes under mounds of heavy-handed melodrama, The Starling is a turkey.

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Richard Roeper

Chicago Sun-Times

This bird's not worth watching.

Rated: 1.5/4

Oct 2, 2021

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Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

The dialogue lacks the saltiness that made St. Vincent work so well, and the many pauses in the action allow plenty of opportunity for mawkishness to seep in. While McCarthy is certainly the best thing in it, she does have her limits.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 30, 2021

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

It just doesn't get the mix quite right -- you can get from there to here.

Sep 29, 2021

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Juanma Fernández París

El Nuevo Día (Puerto Rico)

The talented cast ensures that each of them has the opportunity to have a genuine moment on screen. The problem is that director Theodore Melfi is more concerned with making the film's message clear.

Dec 6, 2023

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Sarah Vincent

Cambridge Day

While ambitious, entertaining and touching, the story becomes repetitive and heavy-handed, and its transitions from humor to gravity are at times awkward.

Rated: 2.5/4

Aug 16, 2023

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Jason Flatt

But Why Tho? A Geek Community

The Starling is perfectly fine. The cast is pretty good and the story is effective. It’s just a bit hard to appreciate in its totality when it makes something so hard to have for yourself seem so simple.

Rated: 6.5/10

Jan 16, 2023

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c m

I see the bad reviews. And sure, it's not the best movie I've ever seen but it is one of the sweetest. Sometimes I just want to feel a little sad and then a little happy. Melissa McCarthy is always so appealing. It's alright and I've seen a lot worse.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/24/25

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Jerry F

I went into the movie thinking it wasnt going to be much of anything and i was absolutly blown away, the birds cgi looks fairly bad when it interacts with anything but its easily overlooked once the movie gets going and the story starts to unwind and really shine

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/22/24

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Tawnya S

I was truly touched by this film. It was a sad story because you could feel everything that each character was experiencing but, it brings ease to you at moments.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/17/24

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Trina F

I lost my husband suddenly and tragically a little over a year ago. I have been a lot like Lily's character. I appreciate that the movie brought out the fact that the main characters were already the way they were when faced with the loss of their child. I also liked that they didn't say there were "answers" to grief. Mental fog is a real thing too. That was one of the scariest things to deal with, especially returning to my job just one week after my husband's death. Thankfully, my errors were not as significant as some of Lily's. I liked how the vet continued to use his therapeutic skills to help his clients. So needed. I appreciated the interactions between all the different characters that showed the complexity of human experiences. It's a really good film to cause one to think, feel, and develop a heart of understanding and compassion for others.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/03/24

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Greg A

Man these critics are wrong just watch it

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/27/24

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Cathy S

Not a turkey a Starling... Very touching loved it

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/17/24

Full Review

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Theodore Melfi

Director

Melissa McCarthy

Lilly Maynard

Chris O'Dowd

Jack Maynard

Kevin Kline

Larry

Timothy Olyphant

Travis Delp

Skyler Gisondo

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The Starling: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

After Lilly (Melissa McCarthy) suffers a loss, a battle with a territorial bird (The Starling) over dominion of her garden provides an unlikely avenue for her grief and the courage to heal her relationships and rediscover her capacity for love.

Director: Theodore Melfi
Producer: Theodore Melfi, Kimberly Quinn, Dylan Sellers, Chris Parker
Screenwriter: Matt Harris
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Goldenlight Films, Boies / Schiller Film Group, Entertainment One, Culmination Productions, Limelight
Rating: PG-13 (Some Strong Language|Thematic Material|Suggestive Material)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 17, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 24, 2021
Runtime: 1h 44m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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