Bird (1988)

74% of critics liked it
(19 reviews)
78% of users liked it
(5,692 ratings)

Academy Award-winning director Clint Eastwood ("Letters from Iwo Jima," "Flags of Our Fathers"), a well-known, long-standing jazz aficionado, delivers a compassionate portrait of jazz visionary Charlie "Yardbird" Parker. Eastwood, who won a Golden Globe for Best Director for this film, also paints a… More Academy Award-winning director Clint Eastwood ("Letters from Iwo Jima," "Flags of Our Fathers"), a well-known, long-standing jazz aficionado, delivers a compassionate portrait of jazz visionary Charlie "Yardbird" Parker. Eastwood, who won a Golden Globe for Best Director for this film, also paints a vivid portrait of the jazz world in all its complexity. Academy Award, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winner Forest Whitaker ("The Last King of Scotland," "Phone Booth"), as Parker, provides a multifaceted performance that helps provide an understanding of the man's genius, and tragedy. Co-starring Diane Venora ("The Insider," "Heat"), who along with Whitaker was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in this picture, Bill Cobbs ("Night at the Museum," "The Hudsucker Proxy"), John Witherspoon (the "Friday" movie series, TV's "The Wayans Bros.") and Tony Cox ("Bad Santa," "Epic Movie"). This music-driven film was an Academy Award-winner for Best Sound.

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Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr. 41 min.
Directed By: Clint Eastwood
Written By: Joel Oliansky
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Oct 1, 1988 Wide
On DVD: Jan 30, 2001
Studio: Warner Home Video

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
Sensitively acted, beautifully planned visually and dynamite musically, this is a dramatic telling of the troubled life of a revolutionary artist.
Janet Maslin, New York Times
Bird is less moving as a character study than it is as a tribute and as a labor of love. The portrait it offers, though hazy at times, is one Charlie Parker's admirers will recognize.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Whitaker sweats, vomits, blows and wails as the Bird (so named for hanging around jazz clubs like a yardbird), laying in some minor-key grace to Parker's self-destruction along the way. But he never lets you into his darkest fears.
Hal Hinson, Washington Post
Even though, thematically, the movie won't come clear, Eastwood has succeeded so thoroughly in communicating his love of his subject, and there's such vitality in the performances, that we walk out elated, juiced on the actors and the music.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Whitaker occupies this world as a large, friendly, sometimes taciturn man who tries to harm nobody and who cannot understand why the world would not let him play his music. Neither can we.
Sean Axmaker, MSN.com
... arguably the best cinematic jazz biography ever made.
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
The greatest strength of Clint Eastwood's bio-pic tribute to jazz saxophone great Charlie 'Bird' Parker, is its dark and haunting mood.
, Time Out
At last American cinema has done black music proud. Unforgettable.
Brad Laidman, Film Threat
Eastwood shows a Parker that is haunted by his boyhood addiction, and shows off the innumerable people who loved his talent who were let down by him time and again.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Eastwood made the switch from Hollywood icon to great world director with his viciously underrated Bird.
Jake Euker, F5 (Wichita, KS)
Overlong, and reeking of prestige.
Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyr.com
Eastwood clearly is committed to presenting Bird to his audience with all of his complexities and contradictions intact.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Whitaker gives a towering performance as the tortured musical genius, and Venora is equally impressive as the independent, compassionate Chan.
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
"a well-produced downer that moves like a funeral procession"
Scott Renshaw, Apollo Guide
Reduced to the bare bones of people and plot, the film winds up dancing around the edges of questions it doesn't answer -- straight-ahead rhythm coupled with straight-ahead melody, and not quite enough depth to either one.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

danny d

an expertly crafted film. the direction and acting were flawless, and the music was obviously exceptional. my real criticism of the film lies in the choices made in the writing. it seems the film was dominated by parkers personal life rather than his music, and more balance was… More
an expertly crafted film. the direction and acting were flawless, and the music was obviously exceptional. my real criticism of the film lies in the choices made in the writing. it seems the film was dominated by parkers personal life rather than his music, and more balance was probably appropriate, and even with the focus as presented there were a few major pieces of parkers life not included in the film that really should have been. overall, an incomplete look at bird despite the films lengthy running time, but what we were given was made with precision and the film was a joy to watch.
Jeff "

A biopic on Charlie "Bird" Parker, Clint Eastwood crafts this film as a labor of love. His love for Jazz music is apparent with this film, and its a well told and acted biopic. Clint Eastwood has tremendous flair in telling a great story, and he tells Charlie Parker's… More
A biopic on Charlie "Bird" Parker, Clint Eastwood crafts this film as a labor of love. His love for Jazz music is apparent with this film, and its a well told and acted biopic. Clint Eastwood has tremendous flair in telling a great story, and he tells Charlie Parker's story with knowledge on the subject matter at hand. The film is dark and sad. Parker lived a sad life and this is what unfolds on the film. Bird is a terrific biopic on a tremendously talented musician. This is one of the best biopics I've seen seen. As a diehard fan of Heavy Metal and rock music, I thoroughly enjoyed something different such as a film about a Jazz musician. If you want a terrificbiopic on a tremendous musician, then Bird is for you.
Michael G

Couldn't get into it.
Dimitris S

A film that will bring shame to melodramatic Eastwood attempts like Changeling,Million Dollar Baby and overall a brilliant biography of a prolific jazz musician.Moody,plunging in details and yet the culmination in so many viewpoints offers such a joy and pity at the same time,the… More
A film that will bring shame to melodramatic Eastwood attempts like Changeling,Million Dollar Baby and overall a brilliant biography of a prolific jazz musician.Moody,plunging in details and yet the culmination in so many viewpoints offers such a joy and pity at the same time,the music is a sorrowful mourn to a past legend.

Cast

            Forest Whitaker as Charlie "Yardbird" Parker

            Diane Venora as Chan Richardson Parker

            Michael Zelniker as Red Rodney

            Samuel E. Wright
            
            Keith David as Buster Franklin

            Sam E. Wright as Dizzy Gillespie

            Michael McGuire as Brewster

            James Handy as Esteves

            Damon Whitaker as Young Bird

            Morgan Nagler as Kim

            Jason Bernard as Benny Tate

            Hamilton Camp as Mayor of 52nd Street

            Bill Cobbs as Dr. Caulfield

            Tony Cox as Pee Wee Marquette

            Peter Crook as Bird's Lawyer

            Lou Cutell as Bride's Father

            Jo De Winter as Mildred Berg

            Roger Etienne as Parisian MC

            Matthew Faison as Judge

            Joey Green as Gene

            Anna Levine as Audrey

            Richard Mawe as Medical Examiner

            Billy Mitchell as Billy Prince

            Al Pugliese as Owner of Three Deuces

            Sam Robards as Moscowitz

            Tim Russ as Harris

            Diane Salinger as Baroness Nica

            Arlen Dean Snyder as Dr. Heath

            Don Starr as Doctor at Nica's

            Tony Todd as Frog

            Ann Weldon as Violet Welles

            Penelope Windust as Bellevue Nurse

            John Witherspoon as Sid

            Steve Zettler as Owner of Oasis Club

            Richard McKenzie as Southern Doctor

            George Orrison as Patient with Checkers

            Slim Jim Phantom as Grainger

            Glenn Wright as Alcoholic Patient

            Charley Lang as DJ at the Paramount

            John Miller as Southern Doctor

            Johnny Adams as Bartender

            Chris Bosley as Doorman

            George T. Bruce as Doorman

            Patricia Herd as Nun

            Richard Jeni as Chummy Morello

            Hubert Kelly as John Wilson

            Duane Matthews as Engineer

            Gretchen Oehler as Southern Nurse

            Alec Paul Rubinstein as Recording Producer

            Natalia Silverwood as Red's Girlfriend

            Karl Vincent as Stratton

            Richard Zavaglia as Ralph the Narc
See full cast

Bird (1988)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

danny d

Jeff "

Michael G

Dimitris S

Cast

Trailers & Clips