The Real Macaw (1998)
An ancient talking macaw named Mac becomes the saving grace for an elderly man threatened with a nursing home, when it is discovered that the talking bird knows the whereabouts of a buried treasure from its days with a pirate. His grandson decides to go off on the hunt only to discover that a resort now exists where the treasure is buried.
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This movie is a children's movie; it's cheap, quick, made-in-Australia Discovery-channel-family-movie type fare, so set your expectations accordingly. It's not realistic, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, the budget is small and the production schedule is short. It's not "Babe". From that point of view the movie is enjoyable to watch. Jason Robards is obviously having way too much fun in his role. The animal direction is pretty good as well, and my hat's off to the macaw wrangler. The bird has all the best lines, of course, but John Goodman's stereotypical "rawwk, phwee-phyoo" overdub just made me roll my eyes ( though not as insulting as the smartass Brooklyn accent they used for Paulie...). The one point I found really outstanding about the film is the macaw puppet used in many scenes; it is very realistic when still, or talking in medium or long shots. A puppet was also used instead of CGI for many of the flying scenes. Owning a blue-and-gold macaw myself, I was quite impressed at this ingenuity on such a small budget. Watch it with your kids, watch it with your bird, set your expectations accordingly and enjoy.
I enjoyed this children's film - have a feeling that the new parrot film 'Paulie' has taken the idea from 'The Real Macaw'and rounded it out from a straightforward children's adventure movie to a full on family movie. Both films are excellent, but Paulie can be watched by everyone, whereas the 'Real Macaw' is definitely more of adventure film for the little ones.Both good family entertainment.
An amusing, enjoyable Australian family movie about a 149 year old talking parrot with a Spanish accent. The parrot tries to help solve its owners financial problems by going on an adventure to find lost treasure on a once deserted tropical island now a resort spot. As a parrot keeper myself I loved the bird and thought the movie was fun. It would be ideal for kids but adults should be able to laugh along too. The parrot is the star of the show but the actors put in some solid performances as well.
The Real Macaw is an entertaining movie for children, featuring Mac, the 149 year old talking Macaw, who knows where the pirate treasure is buried. Mac is the real star of the piece, though there is plenty to do for the human actors, plenty of action, and a satisfying and unexpected conclusion.