Sundance. Pretty Bird.

"Written and directed by the engagingly rumpled young actor Paul Schneider (Lars and the Real Girl, All the Real Girls), this strident comedy about a deluded entrepeneur (Billy Crudup) trying to invent a rocket belt with the help of a paranoid scientist (Paul Giamatti) is notable for having no real people in it whatsoever," writes the Boston Globe's Ty Burr. "It's the kind of precious oddball whimsy that Sundance used to take to the bank and that here reaches a thundering dead end."

Updated through 1/26.

"File [Pretty Bird] under Fascinating Failure, and mark Schneider down as a talented eccentric who needs someone a little more grounded, à la David Gordon Green, to prevent him from escaping Earth's atmosphere," writes Mike D'Angelo at ScreenGrab.

Don't write it off completely, argues Scott Weinberg at Cinematical: "Worth seeing for Crudup, Giamatti and [David] Hornsby alone, the film also does a fine job of deflating a capitalist system that allows any old moron to make a quick buck. Toss in a typically amusing supporting turn from Kristen Wiig, and a few really unexpected plot contortions, and you've got a fine indie flick that's definitely worth a look."

David Carr observes Giamatti coping in Park City.

Update, 1/26: "Smart, sharp and lovely to watch, Pretty Bird... is all one can hope for from an actor making the transition to feature filmmaking," writes Steve Ramos at indieWIRE.

Posted by dwhudson at January 24, 2008 11:44 AM