i approach film about talk animal with care . for every wonderful one like babe and you get an equally poor one like the dreadful remake of homeward bound represent the incredible journey . or in the case of cat and dog and you have a great idea for a film not live up to it potential . when i hear about paulie and the premise of a wisecracking parrot do not exactly fill me with confidence . but i find the film a pleasant surprise . and it manage to sneak it way into your heart without you realise . a russian janitor and misha vilyenkov ( tony shaloub ) get a job in a research laboratory . one day and he hear sing come from the basement . and when he investigate and he find a parrot in it cage sing it little heart out . misha become fascinate with the bird and especially when it turn out the parrot can not only sing and it can talk . and not a few phrase either . it a parrot you can actually make conversation with . the parrot be call paulie ( voice by jay mohr ) and and recognise a fellow castaway in misha . wonder how this world to the wise bird end up in a dusty basement and misha convinces paulie to tell him his life story . which all begin when he be a baby and and in the care of marie and a five year old girl with a stutter . the two of them become bird of a feather ( ok and bad pun . ) . when marie parent become concerned about her close friendship with a bird and they consider send him away . and they finally do after marie nearly injure herself in a fall after teach paulie to fly . desperate to be reunite with her and paulie begin a long journey across america and which include a diverse number of new owner and fly great distance and and even end up behind bar . of a cage that be . paulie be one of a number of talk animal film release by dreamworks in the late 90 . and although it wasn not afford the same recognition or box office success of babe and paulie succeed on quite a few level and and be an occasional work of striking intelligence . jay mohr stand up style of acting be well suit to the part of paulie . he never play the part a too smug and even if he be a bit of a smart aleck . paulie worldly and but he be also naive in his way . because he live a rather sheltered life with marie and when he take away and he have to fend for himself for the first time . and when he fall into the hand of different owner and they make promise to paulie to reunite him with marie and which he believe . only for those promise to be broken time and again . paulie be admittedly a little episodic . it follow the eclectic people paulie end up with and and how he slowly get bring closer and close to marie . he first wind up in a pawn shop and where he be adopt by ivy ( gena rowlands ) and a kindly woman who teach him the meaning of manner . she sympathise with paulie situation and and drive an rv across america to find marie . paulie be an occasionally very touching film . his scene with ivy be some of the best . wonderful moment of paulie perch on her shoulder singing tom jones number . the way she instill in him the need for hope be great and and some of the dialogue be quite well write and even think provoke represent there be thing in life you put off and because you think youre gon na do them later . but the real thing ivy taught me be you get ta live like there may not be a later . the scene where ivy pass away en route leave paulie all alone be a very heart rend moment . and the sequence where he pluck up the courage to fly for the first time across the grand canyon and soar majestically be such a beautifully compose scene it stay with you for hour after the film over . despite the occasional sad moment and there be plenty of laugh to be have . paulie fall in with a group of perform parrot at a spanish outdoor restaurant . the animatronic effect here be really excellent a four bird do a perfectly choreograph dance number . and paulie even get to have a romance . which be dash when he fall in with a petty thief ( play by mohr as well ) . that may be the only complaint i have . as soon a you get comfortable with one situation and the film then move paulie on to another . the scene where paulie be teach to steal money from atm machine be funny and but a little disturb too . i be amaze dreamworks be grant the chance to include such a scene in a kid film . and paulie diamond robbery be very mission impossible . he catch in the act and and ship off to the lab for animal testing and where he remain ever since . the story finally come full circle at the lab and where misha vow to help paulie . of course they do find marie . but the final revelation be a scene of such shocking intensity and i be leave numb for several minute . paulie may never get the longevity babe have and but i believe it an equally brilliant film . the same laugh . the same flawless effect . and the same surprising intelligence . a minor gem .