The Starling

PG-13

Released Sep 17, 2021

1h 44m

Drama

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List

19%

Tomatometer

94 Reviews

71%

Audience Score

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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Samsen M

I can't tell how many times I've watch this movie. It helps me comfort so much when I was dealing with emotional breakdown and sad. This movie is wonderful and truly represents how we feel when we're depressed and it brings tears of joy to see this beautiful and wonderful story of these two couple and also it portrayed everything in a perfect way.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/20/24

Full Review

Frank S

Why do treasures like these not get watched more often??? This movie was wonderful. Life has profound meaning, and few movies illustrate that as well as this one

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

Full Review

Hi, i

Critics are useless. This movie is wonderful. It hit too close to home at times and deals with how we each deal with grief in our own way.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/08/23

Full Review

Julia S

A surprise. Heartfelt, with enough humour to soften the story. A beautiful story.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/20/23

Full Review

Karla F

The CGI bird is the worst part of a poor movie. Chris ODowd does a repris of Brendan Davenport (The Clinic) which was nostalgic but ineffective. McArthy can't seem to resist prat falls. As for the garden, it was truly weird and painful.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/28/23

Full Review

Tom E

The movie had great potential to engage people in the themes of grief and healing. However, The Starling is a disappointing and forgettable film that fails to deliver on its promising premise. The CGI for the "Starling" is poor, and although the metaphors are easily understandable, it unfortunately add no real depth to the feel of the film. In summary, "The Starling" is a disappointing film that fails to live up to its potential. It lacks depth, authenticity, and emotional resonance, resulting in a forgettable viewing experience. For those seeking a thought-provoking exploration of grief and healing, this film is a miss and should be approached with caution.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/13/23

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

Actor

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Hope Gap

64%

70%

Hope Gap

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Passing

90%

86%

Passing

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Living

96%

91%

Living

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Gigi & Nate

19%

95%

Gigi & Nate

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Head Full of Honey

0%

74%

Head Full of Honey

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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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