Wednesday, January 19, 2022

GOLDEN OLDIE 19: Fly Away Home


 

This is another pick from the list of “Favorite Movies” which I slammed together a decade ago in setting up my “Biography”.  There were seven of them, three “lightweights” chosen mostly for entertainment value and/or the warm feeling they impart to your innards when they finally play out.  This is the last of the lightweights; it will remain on my list because I am a sentimental old fool.

So, it tells the story of a sad, partially orphaned little girl (Anna Paquin), her devoted father (Jeff Daniels), and a flock of newborn geese who often steal the scene.  The story revolves about teaching the orphaned little geese to migrate; ultimately by using ultralight aircraft!  Of course, the geese do successfully migrate, and to the exact spot were an epic battle is being waged between the forces of evil (land developers) and a devoted band of tree huggers!  Naturally.  Where else?

There are some very choice scenes, too:  The scrambling of a flight of military jets near the Canadian border in response to their radar presence is funny.  (The geese were born in Canada but are headed south for the winter).  A shot of the whole flock traversing the towers of NYC, led by Paquin in an ultralight – there. I’ve spilled the beans – is very good.  By and large, the acting throughout this little movie is at least adequate, grading upward into pretty darned good.  The geese star, of course. Paquin does a little too much screeching.   But, otherwise – what’s not to like.  Even the critics were relatively kind.  Thus, watch it sometime when you feel the need to disengage your brain. You could do a lot worse.

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