Pretty Bird

In 2008, Pretty Bird was released, written by Zene Baker and Paul Schneider, directed by Paul Schneider, and starring Paul Giamatti and Billy Crudup. This a great dark comedy, showing independent filmmaking in a great way.

This movie is about Curtis (Billy Crudup)who decides he wants to make a rocket belt (the personal rocket that was used in the beginning of Thunderball, if anyone remembers). He is a slick-talking business man who convinces his childhood friend Kenny to help finance the endeavor. They need a rocket scientist so they enlist Rick (Paul Giamatti) to build the belt. Tensions are always high as Kenny will believe anything Curtis says, and Rick is as paranoid and pessimistic as anyone can get. Rick feels left out of all the decisions and since he had been recently screwed over by his last job, he wants partial ownership since he built the rocket belt. While Curtis tries to find financial support, he starts to ostracize Kenny and Rick. Kenny's money runs out as he is forced to close his mattress store, and it seems the partnership is over. Then Curtis hides the rocket belt. Things start to get ugly as no one knows what anyone else is doing or what's going on. Rick abducts Curtis and holds him in a box for 8 days trying to find out what Curtis did with the rocket belt. Curtis escapes, and the movie ends without any resolution of where the rocket belt is or what's happened to everyone.

The dark humor involved is hysterical. Paul Giamatti is at his best playing dark brooding characters, which is exactly what Rick is. Also, he has a sex scene, which is like watching a train wreck (obviously on purpose). The dealings between 3 completely different personalities are fascinating to watch. You know these people won't get along, but you keep watching and wondering how they will dissolve.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes movies that are a little off kilter. It is independent, dark, funny, and at the end of it, makes you want to start it over.

Here is a link to the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_FvxWAWqA4