A Bird from the Air

A Paladin discharge of a Tashtego Films production. Created by Steven Tabakin, Margaret Whitton. Executive producer, Warren Spector. Co-producer, Greg Schultz. Directed by Margaret Whitton. Script, Roger Towne, in line with the novel "The Loop" by Joe Coomer.With: Jackson Hurst, Rachel Nichols, Linda Emond, Buck Henry, Judith Ivey, Gary Player, Genia Michaela, Anjanette Comer, Phyllis Somerville.Credit actress-switched-helmer Margaret Whitton with ambition, a minimum of, for selecting to direct the kind of challenging, offbeat story that frequently fails to deliver of converting fully onscreen. The plotline of "A Bird from the Air," obtained from Joe Coomer's novel "The Loop," mixes elements as broadly divergent like a psychologically impaired workman, a whimsical librarian, a speaking parrot along with a somber backdrop of violent highway deaths. Not able to determine a regular tone, pic goes derivatively screwball about a minute and stickily sentimental the following. Though from time to time enlivened by strong cameos, Whitton's debut feature will turn box-office featherweight after its Sept. 23 opening. Scientifically introverted Lyman (Jackson Hurst) works best for the highway department as "courtesy patroller," a bleak job needing him to tool around in the pickup at latenight hrs, responding to calls about jackknifed rigs, gathering up kerbside clutter and often recuperating traffic deaths. He lives alone in the trailer, enrolled in the local college in courses teaching exclusively utilitarian abilities his only (innocent) friend is Margie (Linda Emond), a waitress in an all-evening diner with whom he shares the graveyard change, and who somewhat strangely provides voice-over for his solo moments. Lyman's possible love interest, Fiona (Rachel Nichols), is his opposite, an outgoing, sexually aggressive campus librarian. She compares notes on Lyman together with her friend Amber (Genia Michaela), the 2 concluding he or she must be straight because no gay guy could be caught dead inside a vibrant orange jumpsuit candy striped with reflector tape (the only real outfit Hurst wears through the entire picture). Both Hurst and Nichols appear too good-searching in exactly the wrong methods to fit their particular roles, however the film's bigger issue is helmer Whitton's awkward use of one half-recognized screwball-comedy style, the talkative Fiona cornering Lyman as if attempting to emulate Katharine Hepburn glomming onto Cary Grant in "Discussing Baby." Not just inappropriate, this mode is dropped instantly the moment anything remotely tragic looms coming, and also the film switches to unremitting schmaltz. Whitton and film writer Roger Towne enjoy a little more success using the film's mystery parrot, creating a slo-mo entrance with an open window in Lyman's trailer and uttering a string of enigmatic words for example, "I am an bald eagle," "Mmm. Mmm. Good!" as well as an oft-repeated "Shut up!" A journey to decipher the much deeper meanings from the parrot's squawks temporarily bonds Fiona together with her socially challenged friend, giving her the important thing to his broken soul and, even better, giving audiences glimpses from the parrot's previous proprietors -- the kind of Judith Ivey, Gary Player, Anjanette Comer, Buck Henry and Phyllis Somerville in brief guest turns which are terrifically thesped but hardly well worth the cost of admission.Camera (color, HD), Philippe Rousselot editor, Sabine Hoffman music, David Majzlin music supervisor, Susan Jacobs production designer, Mark Alan Duran costume designer, Frederick G. Aulisi seem, David Brownlow supervisory seem editors, Marlena Grzaslewicz, Damian Volpe re-recording mixers, Reilly Steele, Volpe casting, Amanda Mackey, Trina Sandrich Gelfond. Examined on DVD, NY, Sept. 20, 2011. Running time: 98 MIN. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com