Rent Bird (1988)
3.5 of 5 from 91 ratings
2h 34min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Clint Eastwood brings a lifelong love of jazz to this gripping story of pioneering jazzman Charlie 'Yardbird' Parker, winning a Best Director Golden Globe Award. Like a spellbinding jazz riff, past and future overlap as the movie explores Bird's soaring skill and destructive excesses. In his Cannes Film Festival Best Actor performance, Forest Whitaker in the title role is a candle ablaze at both ends. Diane Venora shares that glorious light, the New York Film Critics Best Supporting Actress choice as steadfast wife Chan Parker. Skillfully blending Parker solo recordings with modern musicians, Bird comes alive most mightily on its soundtrack, honoured with a Best Sound Academy Award. In Eastwood's hands, Bird truly, stunningly lives. - Actors:
- Forest Whitaker, Diane Venora, Michael Zelniker, Samuel E. Wright, Keith David, Michael McGuire, James Handy, Damon Whitaker, Morgan Nagler, Arlen Dean Snyder, Sam Robards, Penelope Windust, Glenn Wright, George Orrison, Bill Cobbs
- Directors:
- Clint Eastwood
- Writers:
- Joel Oliansky
- Others:
- Alan Robert Murray, Les Fresholtz, Vern Poore, Lennie Niehaus, Robert G Henderson, Willie Burton, Willie D Burton, Dick Alexander
- Studio:
- Warner
- Genres:
- Drama, Music & Musicals
- Collections:
- Acting Up: Top 10 Performances At Cannes, Getting to Know: Clint Eastwood, Oscar Nominations Competition 2024, The Instant Expert's Guide to Spike Lee
- Awards:
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Reviews (2) of Bird
For Jazz Sax enthusiasts only - Bird review by JD
I have yet to see a convincing mime of instrument playing but Forest Whitaker's Sax. synch. was terrible. His acting of a drink and drug dependant musician was as unconvincing and uninteresting as you could possibly imagine for such an otherwise talented actor.
A film biography of a drug addict is a difficult undertaking, it hard to think of how it could have been done better but the result is underwhelming. The jazz tracks are great and a beautiful thing to listen to, it's just the rest that fails.
0 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Jazz - Bird review by JD
I have read that Clint is a big 50's jazz fan. If you are too then this is probably a good film for you. I am only averagely interested in club jazz and so this film, even with the massive talent of Forest Whitaker, is pedestrian.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.