Matthew Modine, Nicolas Cage, John Harkins

A soldier returns from Vietnam to find his boyhood friend, also a fellow soldier, in a military hospital, having suffered a mental breakdown in which he has become detached from reality and imagines t...( read more  read more... )hat he is a bird.

Flixster Users

83% liked it

2,204 ratings

Critics

88% liked it

25 critics

R, 2 hrs.

Directed by: Alan Parker

Release Date: December 21, 1984

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DVD Release Date: February 15, 2000

Stats: 307 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (307)


  • May 27, 2008
    Incredibly touching story about two friends whose lives were destroyed by war. Alan Parker's direction is flawless, as well as the performances and the soundtrack. An emotional roller coaster ride that feels more genuine every time.
  • July 16, 2007
    Ever feel totally alone...except in your own head? So did Birdy (played by Matthew Modine). Stuck in a world where he feels he does not belong growing up tethered to the ground by gravity he seeks escape through flight. The flight is as spiritual as it is physical as Birdy makes ...( read more)every effort to run from this world he did not create. He finds one true friend (Played by Nicholas Cage), someone who accepts him unconditionally. This friend (though he has a name there is no use for them in this film) is Birdy's only grounding to a world which holds the horrors of bullies grown up to play with adult toys of war. Birdy's Psyche, wrenched in anger and anguish, trying to come to terms with the things that he cannot understand by seeing them through the eyes of a spirit he can understand...that of a bird...so caged. All of this is set masterfully against Peter Gabriel's soundtrack which is simply his album, "Security," revamped for the film without the lyrics. Interestingly enough though, for those Gabriel fans out there, if you listen to Security and truly read the lyrics it will help you to understand the film. The haunting melody of Wallflower, a song depicting a person who has been institutionalized and is asked to maintain his spirit and not break nor bend to the will of the "keepers" plays throughout this film (sans lyrics of course). "6 by 6 from wall to wall, shutters on the windows no light at all, there's damp on the floor and there is damp in the bed, they're trying to get you crazy get you out of your head...Hold on..." I found this film on cable about 19 years ago and found myself crying. It is truly that moving. Also, like so many good films, the book is excellent as well.
  • November 5, 2009
    Matthew Modine & Nicolas Cage
  • November 3, 2009
    must see it again, was too young the 1st time
  • October 16, 2009
    It was OK.Something to watch
  • August 18, 2009
    A movie I watch over and over again. The music makes the film as much as the actors.
  • June 29, 2009
    A soldier returns from Vietnam to find his boyhood friend, also a fellow soldier, in a military hospital, having suffered a mental breakdown in which he has become detached from reality and imagines that he is a bird.
  • June 17, 2009
    A very emotional movie.
  • April 26, 2009
    Nicholas cage looks retarded on the cover of this...his hair HAHA
  • February 20, 2009
    nominated for best picture by NBR

Critic Reviews


October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

A very strange and beautiful movie. full review

View more Birdy reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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Birdy Trivia


  • Which movie, starring Matthew Modine and Nicholas Cage, is about a boy that is fascinated by birds?  Answer »
  • Which of these movie groups contain a movie that Nicolas cage did NOT act in....  Answer »
  • Play in all these movies: Notting HilL, Birdy and Full Metal Jacket.   Answer »
  • Full Metal Jacket Vision Quest Birdy On Any Given Sunday Jack & The Beanstalk---The Real Story Bye Bye Birdy Who am I?  Answer »

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