Fly Away Home Movie Reviews

What am I doing in reviewing a 1996 movie???It just so happened that I sent my parents to the DVD rentals to order some films on my behalf since I wasn't able to make it;& my mother ended up picking this movie from a pile of 'old stock' 'cause she saw birds on the cover & she knew how much I loved our feathered friends(not as much as canines & bunnies though).

Teenager Amy Alden(Anna Paquin) is confronted with a car accident which kills her beloved mother.Her father,Thomas Alden(Jeff Daniels) rushes from Canadato his seperated wife & child's hometown in New Zealand only to deliver the crushing news of her mum's death.Amy is taken to live with her dad,who's an artist as well as an inventor.As with any normal child,Amy'sa bit cold towards her previously estranged father & matters get worse when she discovers that he's with another woman,Susan(Dana Delany).Amy's uncle,David(Terry Kinney) manages to offer her some dull comedic relief while Thomas's friend,Barry(Holter Graham) lightens up her spirits with just his friendly presence around the house.When a nesting place for Canadian Wild Geese near their home is destroyed,Amy'adopts' the eggs from a solitary nest without pondering over the consequences which would soon arise.She manages to incubate them within a dressing table in an old barnyard & decides not to notify her guradians.The little goslings pop out &Amy happens to be the first face they look at.Unknowingly to her,she gets 'imprinted' on the minds of the little 'children' as their mother & they begin following her around everywhere she goes.Thomas& Davidworry about the goslings flight routine as Amy being human,can't teach them the basics of simple flight thereby ruining their chances of annual migration.They decide to make her fly their latest inventory flight to encourage the 'babies' to discover their hidden 'gooseness' & then Thomas & Amycan show the birds their routine seasonal path all the way to a bird sanctuary in North Carolina.Meanwhile,Amy begins to warm up to Susan,as she's the only lady in the entire household.After a series of experiments,Thomas & Amy take off on their long journey.On their way,news spreads over & soon the two become international celebrities.Unfortunately,Thomas is met with an accident which renders him impossible to assist Amy & now it's her responsibility as a 'mother' to make sure that her 'kids' reach safely.

The film is terribly slow & dare I say it,a bit boring in the beginning.As the plot unravels,it tends to become more interesting.We all know Anna Paquin as an actress now & it's great to see that she was a talented young teenager as well.Jeff Daniels does well as the weird naturalist who's a bit confused as to why his daughter & girlfriend seem to get along well as opposed to himself & Amy.Dana Delany is a good actress,but she definitely rocks in'Desperate Housewives' with her auburn hair & outrageous curls.The real stars turn out to be the goslings who are really cute to look at.The picturesque serenity of Canada is appealing to the eyes.All I can say is,while watching this movie please be a little patient.You'll grow to appreciate it.

FYI: Based on the semi-true-life-story about Bill Lishman & his successful experiements on Canadian Geese & other birds.

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