Paulie

In my heart, I know Paulie is an attempt to cash in on the recent success of talking animal pictures like Babe and Homeward Bound. Like Babe, it features a friendly, stubbornly loyal animal as its protagonist, this one a smart-aleck parrot (voice of Jay Mohr); like Homeward Bound, it sends the talking animal on a long journey to find his owner. If your first instinct is to think of Paulie as a dopey rip-off, however, be prepared for a pleasant, consistently charming surprise. The story, framed mostly in flashback, has the bird relating his adventures to a gentle immigrant janitor (the always-delightful Tony Shalhoub) in an animal research facility. Though those adventures are basic and sometimes silly, they are accompanied by lessons gently taught--about death, about the consequences of stealing, about the virtue of politeness, and about the importance of persistence in pursuing one's dream. Simple stuff, to be sure, but more edifying and intelligent family fare than Hollywood's offered of late, and while it's an uneven effort, it's at least an effort. How nice to find a fun bit of entertainment, and not just "the best talking animal movie since Babe." Recommended, especially given the price. (S. Renshaw)