Luke McWilliams gives his review of the 2021 comedy-drama film, The Starling, starring Melissa McCarthy and Chris O’Dowd.

Lilly (Melissa McCarthy) and Jack (Chris O’Dowd) are preparing a nursery for their child. Flashing forward a year, Lilly visits Jack in a residential mental hospital. Struggling to work and keep their house together in her husband’s absence, Lilly is also harassed by a starling in her backyard. Soon a counsellor at Jack’s hospital refers Lilly to an old colleague of hers, vet Larry Fine (Kevin Kline).

After several clunkers, it’s easy to forget McCarthy is a good actor. In The Starling, she must balance grief with grounded humour. Forgetting to tend to her own grief, it is the appearance of a territorial starling that pushes Lilly to the edge, forcing her to indirectly seek help for herself. Larry was once a psychologist, but, due to mysterious circumstances, now works as a veterinarian. Using the starling as a device for metaphor and analogy, Larry attempts to help Lilly recognise and move through the stages of her grief.

Jack, meanwhile, chooses to suffer his loss alone. Away from his life and wife, he struggles with the choice to attempt to resume some form of his former life or face an unknown future.

Verdict: While the movie deals with heavy themes of depression, death and suicide, it is a shame that the tone is off, playing more like a cheesy Hallmark American midday TV movie while struggling to stick the landing of the starling device. 1.5 stars.

The Starling is streaming on Netflix.

Luke McWilliams | themovieclub.net

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