Bird

Bird

30/9/1988 2h 41m 6.8/10

Overview

Saxophone player Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker comes to New York in 1940 and is quickly noticed for his remarkable way of playing. He becomes a drug addict but his loving wife Chan tries to help him.

Director

Clint Eastwood

Top Billed Cast

Keith David

Keith David

Buster Franklin

Forest Whitaker

Forest Whitaker

Charlie 'Bird' Parker

Diane Venora

Diane Venora

Chan Parker

Michael Zelniker

Michael Zelniker

Red Rodney

Samuel E. Wright

Samuel E. Wright

Dizzy Gillespie

Michael McGuire

Michael McGuire

Brewster

Reviews

r96sk

2/2/2022

5/10

I personally found <em>'Bird'</em> - 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.

Similar Movies

Wish You Were Here

6.5

Wish You Were Here

1987

The Grandmaster

6.6

The Grandmaster

2013

Women Without Men

6.3

Women Without Men

2009

The Time to Live and the Time to Die

7.3

The Time to Live and the Time to Die

1985

Mexican Bus Ride

6.5

Mexican Bus Ride

1952

Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life

6.2

Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life

2007

The Children of the Century

5.8

The Children of the Century

1999

Torchlighters: The Jim Elliot Story

4.0

Torchlighters: The Jim Elliot Story

2005

Memoir Seorang Guru

6.0

Memoir Seorang Guru

2024

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench

5.5

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench

2010

Nostradamus and the Queen

5.5

Nostradamus and the Queen

1953