Duck

The positive reviews* on IMDb are very misleading. This story is not a cute, sentimental frolic for animal lovers. It's a very bitter, pessimistic nightmare where all human beings are cruel & malicious predators who abuse the weak. I feel sorry for any person who has such a cynical, distorted view of the world. Funny, I thought Fox News had the monopoly on xenophobia, but here we get it doubly thick from the opposite end of the political spectrum.

A mild-mannered old man loses his family, his friends, his home and his money, so he decides to live on the streets of Los Angeles with a duck. In what amounts to a paranoid nightmare, he is mocked, ridiculed, threatened, assaulted, arrested and treated like crap by every human being he meets (as well as a dog). And it never lets up. It's like watching a quadriplegic trying to go 15 rounds with Mike Tyson while his pet duck goes 15 rounds with Michael Vick. And there's no referee in sight.

I'm not exaggerating; the old man meets douchebag after douchebag for the entire length of the movie, and each time he manages to escape for only a moment before meeting another douchebag. Everyone is a douchebag: landlords, garbage men, construction workers, motorists, firefighters, police officers, overprotective mothers, college kids, yuppies, bus drivers, Chinese delivery boys, other homeless people, born again Christians, and of course animal control officers (duh!). This movie makes you hate all human beings.

For that reason, it's the worst movie I've seen in years. What is it trying to accomplish? Spread more distrust, rage and cynicism in the world? The few feeble swats at humour are completely inappropriate, like cracking a joke at the World Trade Center ruins.

You may have noticed that I barely mentioned the titular character: the duck. That is because, contrary to what you're led to believe, this movie is not about a duck. It's about an old man getting kicked around by society for 90 minutes, and he happens to be hauling a duck under his arm. Oh, and a warning to animal lovers: don't be surprised to see the duck getting manhandled, chased and even vomited upon.

I can't stress enough how depressing and corrosive to the soul this movie is. I'm sure it had good intentions, which is why I'm giving it even 2 stars. But jeez, save yourself the aggravation. Or save yourself $5... Go down to the department of motor vehicles and try to get a license with no forms of ID. If you really enjoy hating the human race, be creative about it. You don't need some hack director telling you the world sucks.

*About the positive "reviews" here on IMDb. Click on the authors' names and you'll notice they haven't reviewed any other movies. Some have the audacity to post spam links to the official Duck website so you can buy the DVD for $19.99. Hey, I'm all for self-promotion, but misleading the public is just plain tacky.

Philip Baker Hall lends his calm demeanor perfectly to a low-key tale of a man who has lost hope, until his life is given a little meaning by a duck. This movie is all about a performance that is believable and endearing. Rarely has a film been so perfectly cast. If you enjoy the likes of "The Straight Story", or "The Station Agent", then you will probably enjoy "Duck". This is not a "message" movie as some other reviewers have suggested. If you are trying to find hidden political meaning that grinds on you, then it's easy to find fault. Enjoy it for what it is, a charming performance by a charming actor. Recommended. - MERK

Philip Baker Hall stars alongside a duck named Joe is this very cool, truly independent film about a man who has lost everything and given up hope, when he meets, and adopts a baby duck. Together they search Los Angeles for water and meaning.

This is a small film, with a big heart. There are wonderful cameo appearances by Amy Hill, Bill Cobbs, French Stewart and more. Philip Baker Hall is fabulous. The duck is great too! It is a simple story and not for everyone, but well worth a viewing if you enjoy real independently made, thoughtful films. If you like The Straight Story, Hard Eight, Cassavetes films, etc. you will enjoy this one.

This writer/director is bound for glory. A beautiful movie full of emotion and ideas. Incredible performance by Hall. Gorgeous cinematography. DO NOT MISS THIS MOVIE!!!!

The story sounds sentimental. It is not. This movie hooks you in in the first five minutes and keeps you involved throughout.

Yes, it has a political point of view -- since when did that become a bad thing? It's about how homeless people, even just lonely people, are shunned. The hero is not self-pitying, nor sanctimonious. He is very human, that's all. It's not a movie about a man and a duck, it's about one creature deciding to live in order to keep another creature alive, a profound decision and yet the movie succeeds at the most concrete level too -- the level of detail.

Painfully bad writing, not even rendered bearable by Philip Baker Hall and the delightful Amy Hill.

There's no consistency to the world or reality to the characters, who all exist as unmotivated puppets of the writer/director's trite imagination. Scenes begin randomly, go nowhere and end for no reason, other than convenience; any interesting proposition (a partnership, a duck at a 12-step meeting) is quickly quashed by denials trained out of a good writer in Improv 101.

The whole thing feels like a bad college play, in which street people are the wisest of us all. Feh. Rent "Harry & Tonto" instead.