Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets (2021)

Director: Yaniv Raz

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Runtime: 109 Minutes

Main Cast: Lucas Jade Zumann, Taylor Russell, Jason Isaacs, Lisa Edelstein, Tom Wilkinson, David Arquette, Lily Donoghue

Plot: James Whitman (Lucas Jade Zumann) is a sixteen-year-old lad struggling to get through his teenage years. He doesn’t know how to talk to the girl he likes, he doesn’t know where his older sister has disappeared to, and he copes with his depression and anxiety by talking to his therapist…a pigeon.

My Thoughts: Sometimes I’m drawn to a movie because of the cast. Other times, I’ve read so many great reviews that I get a bit of FOMO until I see it for myself. And occasionally, I see a movie with a title so bizarre that Ii find myself watching it before even finding out what it’s about. Let me present…Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets. My husband groaned when I told him about it, he knows all too well my love of weird movies. This one is more kooky than weird, but for all the right reasons.

Sandwiched into James’ story is a plot to find his missing sister. James clearly had a strong bond with her and her absence has only worsened the strained relationship he has with his parents. With his friend Elly (Lisa Edelstein) at his side, he’s determined to find her and this was my favourite part of the movie, even though I was pretty sure I knew what had happened.

I guess the biggest shame is that as much as I enjoyed the movie at the time of watching it, it’s been a week and it just hasn’t been very memorable to me. For all its oddities, there wasn’t enough here different to similar movies for it to have a lasting effect on me. It was enjoyable enough that I would happily watch it again though, and perhaps that would help.

Best Bit: The editing is absolutely on point in this movie. A lot of more recent movies in this genre deal with issues such an anxiety but the way the screen shakes and the music that goes with it when James suffers an anxiety attack is such a realistic way of expressing how it feels – I loved it.

Worst Bit: Gosh, James’ parents are just the worst. So many relationship issues could be solved by simply having better communication and it’s frustrating to watch! Let’s not get started on his father in particular though, there are plenty of reasons he’s been given the nickname ‘The Brute’. What a waste of space.

Fun Trivia: I’m afraid I can’t find anything fun and trivial for you this time so I’ll give you this – the movie is based on a book of the same name, written by Evan Roskos. I haven’t read it yet myself but it’s definitely on my list!

My Rating: 3 and a half pigeons fully trained in psychiatry, ready to listen to all of your problems if your family refuses to exist that mental illnesses are real.