The Starling
Directed by Theodore Melfi
★★★½
THE STARLING (L-R): MELISSA MCCARTHY as LILLY, KEVIN KLEIN as LARRY. CR: HOPPER STONE/NETFLIX © 2021
Sure, it may be sentimental, but The Starling is full of genuine performances from Melissa McCarthy, Kevin Kline and Chris O’Dowd that elevate the film from what critics are calling mawkish melodrama. It's definitely better than this year’s Kevin Hart vehicle Fatherhood. So, why then, is the response so menial from critics? Honestly, this stems from systematic misogyny, whether we want to admit it or not.
It hits similar beats as Fatherhood, and is filled with awkward comedy, as well as starring a comedian. So why is it that every time McCarthy is in a vehicle of this sort, or even a dumb comedy for that matter (which Hart does frequently), does she seem to take the brunt of critical lambast?
The critical groupthink that allows certain critics to get their rocks off by targeting McCarthy is getting to the point of repulsiveness. They seem to forgive Nicolas Cage for his dumb as hell releases, giving both Willy’s Wonderland and Prisoner’s of the Ghostland mostly positive reviews, while giving the opposite to McCarthy’s The Starling and Thunder Force (both significantly better films). Or even praising James Wan for leaning into the genre in his recent film Malignant, so to completely criticize The Starling for doing the same, doesn’t make any sort of cohesive critical sense.
The Starling is most definitely not without its faults, one unearned explosive scene between McCarthy and Kline in particular stands out. Yet, as a whole, The Starling exceeds in its sentimental profundity by going for it in a head-on honest manner. For that alone, it is easy to forgive its flaws. Paired with a terrific McCarthy it's hard to dislike the film unless you are actively trying to. I find a lot of these specific critics twitter feeds ironic, smashing this film to pieces, but a few tweets before calling for unity and identifying as a feminist. Maybe its time they give a critical look at themselves?
