Yellow Bird

IN A NUTSHELL: The film was directed by Angus Benfield, who also helped produce it and stars in the movie. Writing credit goes to Tony Jerris.

In the style of The Office and Schitt's Creek comes a fun new comedy about searching for happiness, "Yellow Bird." This heartfelt film, set in a small country-town grocery store named "The Yellow Bird," is centered around once successful PR specialist Jake (Angus Benfield), now a stock boy in his mid-forties, struggling with his sobriety, and his conscience in the guise of a gnome (Brian Doyle-Murray) who is determined to remind Jake of all his failings, including his marriage. Jake's mother, Rachel Rush (Kathy Garver), is struggling with Alzheimer's and is living in an RV. Rachel is holding onto a past she remembers as much more adventurous and exciting than this life and is determined to find it once again, and Scotty, the protagonistic store manager who is stuck in a job his father wants him to be in, and so makes all the fun and quirky employees at "The Yellow Bird" miserable in return.

THINGS I LIKED: The main cast includes director Angus Benfield, Brian Doyle-Murray, Kathy Garver, Plastic Martyr, Michael Maclane, Britt Crisp, and more. The hair stylist's name is Melissa Disney. Woah. Would you want your last name to be Disney?

I like that none of the characters look like slick, Hollywood actors, but instead, real people.

Plastic Martyr has the funniest lines of everyone.

You may not recognize any of the actors in the movie, but you'll definitely recognize the voice of Brian Doyle-Murray who voices Gnome.

If you love awkward movies, you'll love the characters in this.

The song "Yellow Bird" at the end of the movie is very sweet. It was written and performed by Ruth Benfield and Scott Oatley in 2022.

Several characters talk about the definition of a yellow bird: it refers to the love of your life, the person you can't live without. I've never heard that expression before. Have you? What I especially liked was that the film took it in another direction. Yellow Bird doesn't just refer to a person but a profession or your passion in life too.

The movie was filmed in Redding, California.

I love that Jake actually takes pride in his job and is committed to sticking with the Alcoholics Anonymous program.

The characters really grow on you by the end of the movie.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: Some of the dialogue isn't very good.

Some of the acting isn't good.

The movie looks and feels like a low-budget Indie film.

It's a slow burn of a flick.

Lot of corny overacting that made the characters look like cartoon characters.

There were a few rough editing moments.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Some profanity A woman tries to hit a man Talk of a one-night stand and a possible resulting pregnancy Finding your life's true passion.

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Perhaps those who have not lived a life that has brought them to a "how did I get here?" moment will not connect with this film, which in part may explain the handful of "1" ratings. We can forgive these stalwart naysayers for their lack of perspective, if not for their silly assertions that the many high ratings of this rather endearing small film are somehow fake.

The ultimate takeaway about Jake, the main character, is that in staying true to the core of who he is -- a kind and humble man whose apparent lack of a spine has gotten him into the fixes he finds himself -- in the end, it is that very kindness and humility which becomes his superpower of sorts. As he comes to realize there is strength in his kindness, he in helps the store owner's son find his own courage to face up to his father's narrow demands, which brings these two characters to a better place.

The acting, while not on a high level of cinematic quality, is earnest and amusing in and of itself, especially in the final payoff at the end of the film.

The film also provides a nice break from the usual overblown and formulaic fare to which we have all become accustomed.

Casting mostly unknown and B- actors the movie trudges slowly along. The acting, lighting, and camera work are cringe-worthy. Even some of the outdoor shots (like when his car is leaving the parking lot early on) are jerky and full of stutters. When Jake's mom is sitting on the bed in the Winnebago the lighting is so harsh and overdone it's absurd.

Jake's "acting" is accentuated by his flailing and unbelievable hand gestures which continue from start to end. He is clearly out of his element as an actor.

Why all the 10/10 ratings and reviews? They are clearly fake. This movie is nothing more than an attempt to a low budget, movie-version of the sitcom Super Store, but far, far worse. Swing and a BIG miss.

One Star is too high of a rating for this steaming pile of garbage.

The movie seems to have been written by some first year film students. I have never cringed at a movie so much. The acting was horrific but the real failure is the sitcom level writing that was overstretched into a full length movie on a clearly nonexistent budget.

Nearly every scene hurt my brain to watch and made me want to throw my remote through the TV to get rid of it. Whoever is writing these high rated reviews is absolutely delusional. Just because it's indie does not mean you indie film loons should just automatically love it.

This appears to have been filmed in an actual grocery store, and all of the cast are unknowns that were surely paid very little. It's not a high shelf film, but it's not really that bad either. It feels like this director could do a lot better with more resources, since what is here is pretty well written, and as another review says: it grows on you.

The only "known" cast member is a lawn gnome that talks to the protagonist, played by the voice of Brian Doyle-Murray. He does fine. Aside from this, we have a lot of ironic social awkwardness that tends to get funnier as you get used to the budget restraints of the project.

The film is a little slow and wooden, almost feeling like a stage production that used a supermarket instead of a theatre. Still, there is a certain integrity to the project that makes it feel like there's a diamond in the rough here. I can't exactly give it a high rating, but i don't really mind it so much. I would look forward to more from some of this team, but im not sure exactly who worked on which parts of the project.

Many scenes and sets seem well inspired and intended, but we can tell that they are trying to save money pretty often. For instance, i'm pretty sure the same bran muffin was used throughout the film in 4-5 scenes, possibly more.

Still, if you have the patience for a little corner cutting, this one is surprisingly worth the watch compared to how it might seem at first glance.

Given the current writer's strike: i'd say that if this was made by horribly underpaid gig workers, i won't support it. If it's made by some earnest people that just wanted to put out a film without a lot of resources, i fully support them for it.