User reviews

I liked it. I have seen Rhys Darby on Modern Family and Life in Pieces and thought he was hilarious. So I decided to check this out despite that one horrendous review. I liked it. It's nice to see a movie about a man being kind to an animal and being a good guy in general. it was light and cute with a fantastic soundtrack. Loved that they did a Queen video at the end.

I'm sick of the Hollywood version of the romantic comedy. It seems like all this time, Hollywood has been trying to get close to repeating the critical and commercial success of When Harry Met Sally – itself an attempt to pull off a more accessible version of Woody Allen's late-70s bittersweet romantic comedies. However, Hollywood tends to get it wrong each time, with either bad casting, a bad script, or a very dubious moral centre (or all three - step forward Made Of Honour).

Away from the Hollywood version, Love Birds manages to entertain without leaving a bad aftertaste (the sort of guilt you usually feel after watching a romantic comedy when you realise you've just wasted 90 minutes of your life). Kiwi comedian Rhys Darby plays Doug, down-on-his-luck after being unceremoniously dumped by his long-term girlfriend. He finds solace in caring for an injured duck – also taken away from its partner – and this leads him to the supporting cast of Sally Hawkins and Bryan Brown.

Both actors are as awesome as ever, and Darby – by trade a stand-up comedian and comedic actor – more than stands up against them, carrying the film on his shoulders. The film is set in Auckland, New Zealand and it serves as a good showcase of the city's key features. In fact, the Auckland tourism board should really pay this film some attention (if it hasn't done already).

All in all, not the greatest film in the world, but a pretty entertaining one and a nice example of Kiwi filmmaking.

I quite like Rhys Darby and I do like Sally Hawkins, so seeing this at my local video store, had to get it out. I was blown away by its humour, good, gentle story and fine acting. Fabulous aerial shots of Auckland, and a very well-trained duck. Yes, it's a corny story, and it's not earth-shattering,(but then neither is the asteroid). For its genre, it ticks all the boxes and entertains along the way. The kids are polished performers too. It's made me want to get up in a hot-air balloon, which probably isn't a good thing, but it held my attention all the way through - and there are not many movies that do that today. Full marks to all concerned. Will be going out to buy this one.

The 2011 one. From new zealand, land of the kiwis! When an injured bird lands on doug's roof, he feels compelled to look after it. And they become therepy buds for each other! Fun and light hearted. Featuring music by queen. Doug brings the bird to holly, the local bird specialist, and they hit it off. With the help of her assistant. Everyone is quirky and different and fun. The only problem is holly's son; he doesn't like the idea of anyone trying to replace his dad. Can it all be straightened out? Cute, fun little story. Directed by paul murphy. Story by nick ward. It's quite good. It gets a bit silly and predictable towards the end, but anything is possible! New zealand and australia seem to have perfected the art of blending odd, quirky stories into film. Well done little film.

A time-pass, slow paced New Zealand comedy-of-sorts. I watched it half asleep, and that's probably the best way to watch it. It's not a bad movie, but it's a far cry from a good one.

Doug is happy with his life - good, but average job, great friends. His world is broken apart when his girlfriend dumps him for lacking ambition and drive in life. He discovers an injured duck and starts to nurse it to good health. The inclusion of the duck, which he names Pierre, forces him to change a lot of things in his life.

In this course, he falls in love with veterinarian Holly, and gets into complications when his old girlfriend comes back to him seeing the changes in his life. The story is strained, and hiccupps in places. Very average movie, but peppered with old Queen songs.

Loved it!!!! I think I must have grinned and smiled for almost the entire movie, interspersed with a few big laughs and also a couple of moments where I held my breath. Rhys Darby was excellent - I was already a fan of his from Flight of the Conchords and he didn't disappoint in this and held his own against the other actors. Bryan Brown was superb as well, although would have been great to have a few more quirky scenes with his character in them.

I don't watch movies as often as I used to, so many times now after watching a movie I just feel like it was rubbish and a waste of time. This movie kept me engaged and entertained the whole time and I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed this warm-hearted little gem.

An easy light-hearted and thoroughly engaging movie that anyone can enjoy. I wish they made more movies like this!

It was nice to watch an old-fashioned comedy where there were no vulgar speaking and discusting scenes. I can't say that it was very funny. maybe it was back in 2011 but for me it was just a nice movie with nice actors in it. It is worth watching though.

Lovely location and great to see NZ actors etc again, but there is some bad language / smoking / stuff that's upsetting eg dead animals etc.

At the end of this movie I realised my face was tired from smiling so hard. It was a fun movie with plenty of laughs. Especially funny was the trip to the bird sanctuary and the lip-synched end credits.

The romance unfolded slowly and sweetly and realistically and the movie managed to make me care about the characters and hope things would work out for them.

The duck - sorry Shelduck - in the movie was very cute and not at all annoying like I had feared it might be. And who couldn't resist a duck who likes listening to Queen music?

While the lead actor Rhys Darby is usually a comedian, I thought his acting and screen presence was up to the challenge of this feature length film.

Cute movie keeps you entertained. Would've rated It hirer if it didn't have so many Queen songs in it!

Rhys Darby (the kiwi) and Sally Hawkins (English and in Made in Dagenham) are excellent. A great kiwi movie. Bryan Brown is Australian and so good as the eccentric. Faye Smythe as Alison is convincing.

Some hilarious kiwi funny moments and some lovely scenes if a bit cheesy. Go and see it it is so good and engrossing.

Don't be put off by the shorts they don't do it justice - they make it look like it is one huge cliché and it isn't.

Filmed around some scenic spots of Auckland. Some of these have the makings of a backdrop that will become as recognisable as Sydney harbour. If you know Auckland at all you will enjoy picking where the movie was filmed.

I just saw this film and have to say that i was surprised and warmed by the kind of films they are making in New Zealand.

As a European i had no idea what to expect (from New Zealand) coming into the film. Its not perfect, but in the end i didn't care, for i laughed, had a tear in my eye at times and had an all round good time.

The performances are strong from both Kiwi comedian Rhys Darby and up and coming English star Sally Hawkins, as well as strong back up performances from Emily Barclay and veteran Aussie Bryan Brown.

The real treat however for music lovers is the soundtrack provided courtesy of rock legends Queen. There was around 9 or 10 of Queen's greatest tracks in the film including 'Somebody to Love', 'Bicycle Race', 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love'.

As i said, its not perfect. But you know what, you wont care. Its just a good old fashioned movie of the type that we need more of.

Overall this is a very sweet film with a difference and shows that New Zealand cinema is unique, alive and well.

8/10

Doug (Rhys Darby) has just been jilted by longtime galfriend, Susan. An item for two years, Susan can't stand the fact the Doug still lives in the house he inherited when his parents died, she'd prefer something more upscale. Also, she detests the fact that he adores the rock band Queen, having a wall devoted to their photos and playing their music constantly. So, she's had enough and walks out the door. Hurting immensely, Doug keeps the breakup news from his best buds at work and at play. Luckily, this road worker's attentions soon get diverted. A rare black duck lands on his roof, having broken a wing. Rescuing the bird, he takes it to a nearby small zoo, where the expert on winged creatures, Holly (Sally Hawkins) says she can't help him. Instead, she hands him a phone number for a nearby vet (Bryan Brown, how nice to see him!). Declaring that the bird will never fly again, the doc suggests that Doug foster it until he can find another solution. Settling the duck, which he names Pierre, with his own room, complete with Doug's former wading pool, he soon becomes very fond of his feathered friend. They sleep together and sometimes even take a bath together, when Pierre hops right in. Meanwhile, since Doug liked the looks of Holly, he tries to get "something going" with this nice lady. But, there are complications. Holly has a son, Taylor, who misses his deceased dad and detests Doug on sight. Then, Susan returns to make small overtures to her former flame once more. This confuses Doug, naturally. Between going to trivia contests at his favorite bar friends, trying to decide who he loves, and caring for Pierre, who suddenly gets lost in a woods, what will be Doug's near future expectations? Just ducky, that's what this movie is, viewers will adore it. Hawkins, a Brit star, is always welcome while Darby is handsome and charming. Other cast members of many ethnic groups are total delights, too. As for the scenery, how wonderful and exotic it is, looking nothing like other places on earth. The script is clever, the costumes are winning, and the direction is sure-footed and fun. On top of all this, the trained duck is beyond cute and quite talented, worth the price of the film entirely by himself. So, ducks, get your things in order and go find Love Birds for this coming weekend.

Excellent movie! to those that find it not funny, it's probably because you have no concept of life in New Zealand. It is quirky. It is funny. It is a great story. Excellent movie. apparently i need 10 lines to be a real review, so i'll need to waffle on a bit more, but the just of this review remains. Good movie. If you want to watch something, be entertained, have a smile on your face and a happy tear in your eye, then watch this! Still got 3 more lines to go and the site warns me about padding the review, so i better stop and just be about the movie. Good to see Rhys being genuine and funny without trying too hard. Nice to see the mix of culture in the movie that New Zealand is fast becoming known for.

A movie for all ages and thoroughly entertaining!

Congratulations to all involved. Well done! Perfect!

At first I thought it was going to be kind of cheesy, but after Doug rescued the duck, I wanted to know what happened. This movie has some great messages about what's really important in life and I thought Doug and the duck where adorable. The longer I watched it, the more I liked it, especially when it had music from Queen. It seemed certain parts where written just to incorporate Queen's music, yet complimented the storyline perfectly. It's charming and profound; nothing crude or gratuitous. It's got a great ending and be sure to watch the footage during the credits ~ really cute. Definitely a great kids' movie, but I recommend it to everyone.

The story has many characters and a duck! The manner in which the story is woven with music by Queen throughout is absolutely fabulous. It's a funny, well written original story. Auckland is a beautiful city. The duck is a marvelous character.

I enjoyed it so much I rewatched it immediately on Amazon Prime.

This is simply a really well made feel good movie with a fantastic soundtrack.

Some of the one liners were the funniest I have heard in years and I haven't laughed so hard in years!

Thanks to our friends across the ditch!

Not deep, but better than most of the drivel available to watch without paying extra these days. Cute and sweet. The girl needs to lighten up a little, and yeah, there are a few cliche situations but I don't regret the time I spent watching.

A super sweet heartwarming love story between a man named Doug and a duck named Pierre, who introduces Doug to a lovely lady named Holly. I appreciate love stories where the guy and girl leads are just normal, everyday people with beautiful hearts. Worth a watch, even just for the fantastic Queen singalong video at the very very end!!!!!!

A real sweet movie, for those that love a happy ever after ending. All the supporting characters are believable and qwerky. Rhys Darby is basically just playing himself, but he is damned lovable. A lot of care was taken with the single mom/son dynamics.