This is an article “The Starling” by Marc Primo
Release date: 17 September 2021 (USA)
Director: Theodore Melfi
Language: English
Production Companies: Limelight, Entertainment One, Boies/Schiller Film Group
Producers: Theodore Melfi, Kimberly Quinn, Dylan Sellers
SPOILER ALERT – Netflix has had a string of hits and misses over the years, and streaming fans now know that star power can't always carry a seemingly promising production. Take the latest Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd, and Kevin Kline-billed The Starling, for example. The tragedy-themed dramedy looks good in the trailer, but not even an angry bird can make it fly into Oscar-worthy territory. Somehow, something is amiss with how the whole story is weaved; but it's nice to see these stars back on screen (especially the missing-in-action Kevin Kline), and in their best form, to boot.
No one can blame Netflix for picking up the project. The struggle of dealing with loss and grief is very much prevalent these days of the pandemic, and tackling something as intense was a good idea after all. There's a formula for these kinds of films – the same ones we saw in last year's Pieces Of A Woman, 2016's Manchester By The Sea, or 2011's Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close. For The Starling, the familiar elements are there, such as how different people take on different ways to deal with a loss and how a tragedy can disrupt family relationships– but still, something's missing.
What's the point of grief?
Lilly (McCarthy) and Jack (O'Dowd) Meynard are slowly growing apart after their little Katie passed away from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The movie establishes the loss of a child early on and how different the couple is handling their grief. Lilly was pretty quick to assume the numb approach, continuing work like nothing ever happened. On the other hand, Meynard had to go to intensive therapy after the loss, admitting himself to a psychiatric hospital where Mellisa visits him from time to time.
The couple's small-town life isn't helping much either, with its quiet environment leaving nothing for diversion. Her work as an assistant manager at a local supermarket is the only thing that allows Lilly to drift through everything that's happening around her. And it somehow pays off as she finds how futile it is to dwell on their daughter's death or Jack's suicide attempt at all. However, she knows within herself that she still had to deal with loss.
Lilly gives in to talking to a recommended veterinarian who formerly practiced as a psychiatrist– the appropriately named Dr. Larry Fine (Kline). Hesitant to take on a human patient initially, Dr. Fine eventually lent an ear to the persistent Lilly and encouraged her to face the music.
Lilly then starts to clean up Katie's room (which in flashbacks show the couple painting happily together) and starts to tidy up the lawn for a new garden. Then comes the eponymous character, a pesky mother sterling. Katie finds herself in a daily battle against the bird as Dr. Fine looks for epiphanies he could share with Lilly from the encounters. From then on, viewers will find themselves struggling to put together a coherent thought on where the story is going.
The things we get and don't get
Life is genuinely complex. Yet, the idea of three people ostracizing themselves from reality and finding the help they need amongst themselves is not always a surefire formula. It's easy enough to understand the characters' motivations. It's pretty confusing, though, how screenwriter Matt Harris and director Theodore Melfi try so hard to blend melodrama with unbelievable humor. Undeniably, there are more cringe-worthy scenes than what you'd expect from such a film.
In a film wherein it's easier to digest why the lead character wears a helmet to defend herself from a small attacking bird than understanding the process of grief itself, it's easy to note that there's something odd about the storytelling. The daily battle between Lilly and the Starling seems to miss its intended meaning, and what the bird represents is somehow never explained throughout the film. Was it supposed to be Lilly in bird form? Was it the truth that life goes on even while you grieve? From what we've seen, the Starling in question was just a pesky little bird who disapproved of Lilly's attempt at gardening.
Know what to expect
Fans who are expecting laugh-out-loud scenes will definitely be disappointed. There are no shades of Roy of The It Crowd or Molly of Mike & Molly here. And there's no brilliant Howard Brackett of In & Out either. However, the cast understood their roles well and played them flawlessly. After all, McCarthy, who takes on the lead role knows the dramedy territory well with her stellar performance in 2018's Can You Ever Forgive Me? Yet, even the film's alt-folk soundtrack can't bring audiences to that emotional place where they could take in everything. All in all, the scenes are mostly unrelatable, despite how hard the dialogue tries to work.
The Starling does no favors for McCarthy's career with its mediocre comedy and confusing lines. Here, audiences will see her flailing her arms to call a fight with a bird, making a scene in front of the psychiatry hospital in one of her weekly visits, and getting rid of Katie's things – pretty much nothing else is more memorable than those. O'Dowd as Jack is understandably standoffish even to Lilly, but sorely missed were the chances for the actor's true comedy talent. At least there was Kline's Dr. Fine and a few flashes of brilliance, which audiences might somehow find compelling.
Audiences looking for some cathartic feeling after watching the film might find themselves scratching their heads instead. While there are a few bits and pieces of good and honest scenes, The Starling fails to instill how poignant its tragedy is and how there can be true relief after a storm. There are also a few packaged insights that fall short of impacting the viewers' emotions and merely die out as witty violators on a cereal box. Many opportunities seemed wasted on an initially promising project, and McCarthy's fans are sure she can do one better in the future. However, for The Starling, most of its attempts to share both the good and bad of grieving most certainly didn't fly.
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