A Bird of the Air

2011

A lonely highway patrolman teams up with a gorgeous librarian to find the owner of a verbose parrot, and together the pair embarks on a most unusual adventure in this romantic comedy based on Joe Coomer's breezy New York Times 1993 Book of the Year, The Loop. Kindhearted Lyman (Jackson Hurst) spends most of his nights helping people on the highway. As a result, he's found it difficult to establish any real lasting relationships. Just when it starts to look as if Lyman is destined to spend the rest of his life alone, however, a wayward parrot swoops into his home and starts talking up a storm. Convinced that he can reunite the rare bird with its owners with the right help, Lyman recruits inquisitive librarian Fiona (Rachel Nichols) to help search for clues. Meanwhile, as the unlikely duo ventures far out of their comfort zones, casual conversations lead to an intimate connection and unexpected romance. more..

Director: Margaret Whitton

Starring: Anjanette Comer, Linda Emond, Jackson Hurst, Rachel Nichols, Matte Osian

 18 Reviews

Reviews

  • Margaret Whitton strikes a pleasing balance between amusing and sensitive, largely eluding the potentially precious minefields in their way.

    Gary Goldstein - Los Angeles Times

    29 November 2012

  • Ms. Nichols is consistently appealing in the kind of role Zooey Deschanel has pretty much cornered, and Philippe Rousselot's nighttime shots of highway tragedy are dreamily atmospheric. If only Roger Towne's screenplay had focused less on the metaphysical import of Lyman's savior impulses and more on the physical rewards of his salvaged life.

    Jeannette Catsoulis - The New York Times

    29 November 2012

  • The cast detracts, too: Fiona, a flighty loner in the book, is a grating twit in Nichols's hands, and Hurst, while likeable, is flat and too hunky. The bird's got more charisma, which in a better movie would've been the point.

    - Village Voice

    29 November 2012

  • Unable to establish a consistent tone, picture goes derivatively screwball one minute and stickily sentimental the next.

    Ronnie Scheib - Variety

    29 November 2012

  • At its most entertaining when the parrot does the talking.

    - New York Post

    29 November 2012

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