The Real Macaw Review

The Real Macaw

Release Date: 26th September 1998 - Australia

Production Companies

Adelaide Motion Picture Company

Becker Entertainment (presents)

Australian Film Finance Corporation Limited

Bellwether Films

The South Australian Film Corporation

New South Wales Film and Television Office

Film Queensland

Genre: Family/Adventure

Rating: G

Runtime: 92 minutes

Budget: $5,000,000 (estimated)

Box Office Gross: $741,876 (Australia)

Plot Summary

In 1870, a pirate in the
Amazon captured a macaw
parrot and took it aboard
his ship, along with
priceless temple treasures.
After a fallen lamp set the
ship on fire, the pirate, the 

bird, and the treasure drifted 
somewhere in the South
Pacific. The parrot watched
parrot watched the wounded
pirate bury it on a deserted

island, then died.

It's 1997 in Sydney, and

the parrot is the same!
Mac, now 149 years old,

lives with his old pal,
the lovable Grandpa. His
15-year-old grandson,

Sam, also adores Grandpa.

But their fun-filled world

shatters when Sam's father

discovers Grandpa is deeply

in debt and arranges to

sell of Grandpa's lifelong

home and move him to

a "pet-free" retirement

centre.

The prospect of being

separated from his

grandfather is too much for

Mac to bear, and he reveals

to a stunned Sam that he

can talk. Talk for real! Plus,

he knows where the buried

treasure lies! So Sam and

eccentric Mac set off to

find it.

Cast

Jamie Croft - Sam Girdis

Daniel Murphy - Mac (Voice)/Pet Store Owner

Jason Robards - Grandpa Girdis

Joe Petruzzi - Rick Girdis

John Waters - Dr. Lance Hogan

Deborra-Lee Furness - Beth Girdis

Gerry Connolly - Lou Rickets

Robert Coleby - Mr. St. John

Petra Yared - Kathy Girdis

Nathan Kotzur - Scarlatta

Kevin Hudes - Businessman on Plane

Penny Everingham - Nurse Gimlet

Murray Shoring - Dr. Thompson

Anna-Maria La Spina - Museum Receptionist

Simon Chan - Phillip

Tango - Mac

Crew

Director - Mario Andreacchio

Based on an Original Story/Screenplay/
Co-Producer - Bruce Hancock

Based on an Original Story/Screenplay -
Matthew Perry

Executive Producer - Richard Becker

Producer - Margot McDonald

Co-Producers - Tim Prescott and
Rocky Bester

Casting Director - Ann Fay

Macaw Trainer - Peter Gregg

Production Designer - Ross Major

Art Director - Michael Rumpf

Set Decorator - Lisa Brennan

Director of Photography - David Foreman

Stunt Coordinator - Danny Baldwin

Editor - Edward McQueen Mason

Supervising Sound Editor - Wayne Pashley

Production Sound Mixer - Paul 'Salty' Brincat

Re-Recording Mixer - Pete Smith

Music - Bill Conti

Review

Greetings, everyone. Here's another review, this time a family movie! When we think of family movies where live animals steal the spotlight from human actors, Babe is a prime example. Filmed primarily in Australia, the film was a worldwide success. However, a few of its Australian-filmed competitors didn't get the same recognition, and each was a box-office failure. Filmmaker Mario Andreacchio from South Australia has struggled since his movie Napoleon, which starred no humans, underperformed. He ultimately agreed to direct the feature, as another bird-centric film, Paulie, was about to open in theatres for that same year. THE REAL MACAW didn't do so well with its low box office receipts and got shipped into direct-to-video packaging for American audiences. Nothing in the film was altered or re-edited except the macaw's voice, which John Goodman re-dubbed.

THE REAL MACAW is too predictable for a family movie. It addresses some tried-and-true themes, particularly the family's inner turmoil, one of its main focuses. Fortunately, the film draws viewers in with its delightful comedy and feathered star, a wisecracking bird full of personality and spunk, voiced by Daniel Murphy, the original actor's ad-libs. This actor does a much better job of giving the parrot its squawk than John Goodman did in the American version.

Unrecognisable Australian film talent spearheaded the cast, except for Jason Robards, the movie's only American actor in the movie, and, to a lesser extent, Jamie Croft. The late actor is so out of place that even his grandfather role couldn't save it from being a forgettable film with forced international marketing. Croft delivers a solid performance as a young boy desperate to save his grandfather from a retirement home and financial trouble.

THE REAL MACAW is just too average. It's much harder to find in a bargain bin in a second-hand retail store, as if it were a rare bird (no pun intended). You'll all understand this critique and agree that this movie isn't suitable for a family audience.

Star rating: (5/10) Average

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