Paulie (1998) - full transcript

The agency told you you had to
pay for your own uniforms?

Yes.
I to buy with money from job.

No, no, no. You can't start
a job without a uniform.

But how to buy
when not been paid?

- You don't have any money?
- No.

This is why I take job.
To make money.

This is why I come to America.

- To be big shoot.
- Shot. Big shot.

I try not to live in past.
Only present tense since I come.

Yeah, but big shoot
makes no sense.

This is the main building.



Administration, lecture rooms
and the laboratories.

It's just the floors in here.

Don't worry about the cages
or what's in 'em.

The research assistants
feed them.

You know,
they study animal behavior.

In cage,
only can behave like prisoner.

Word of advice, my man.
Try not to think so much,

and whatever you do,
don't bother the professors.

They're the real big shoots
around here.

Watch your step.

This is purgatory.

I'll get the trash.

What bird kind is this?

- Huh?
- The biting kind. Be careful.



Are you bird or dog?

What...
What he's doing down here?

Paulie's an old project
for Dr. Reingold.

Didn't work out. Loss of funding
or something. I can't remember.

But he's not eat, I think,
and he lose his feather.

Don't worry about him.

Come on. I'll show you
where the incinerator is.

* I loved you
the first time I saw you

* I always will love you...

* I loved you
the first time I saw you

* I always will love you

* Marie

You made me
your fairy godmother.

So if I'm your fairy godmother,
I command you to go to sleep.

You gotta go to sleep, Marie.

Look, I'll be right here.

Good night, Marie.
I love you, too.

Okay, I'll see you
in the morning.

Hey, who are you?

What are you doing here?
Get outta here!

Come on! Leave me alone!
And don't come back!

Virgil. First, he's singing.
Now he's talking.

Quit messing with that parrot

and get back to work
before you get us fired.

MA?

Hello.

"Food consists of seeds,

nuts, bugs."

"Flocks are seen feeding
in mango trees,

bearing ripe fruit."

Mango.

Muchas gracias.

Let's see.

What shall I have
for lunch tonight?

Now, here is some big banana,

very plump papaya...

and... some nice mango.

Oh, yes, this is a good one.

Nice and yellow on the inside.

Oh, yes,
this going to taste delirious.

You like mango, bird?

Hmm? It's very juicy...

and good for growing feathers.

Want a bite? Hmm?

Say "mango".

Mango.

Mmm. Oh, this good.

Mmm.

All right. Mango, mango, mango.

M-A-N-G-O. Mango.
Are you happy now?

Oh, my God.

This is what
you've reduced me to.

I've sold out
for a piece of fruit.

I can't believe it.
You can talk?

Believe it, Tolstoy, but don't
forget the fruit, the mango.

Give it to me, you mop monkey.

- Oh.
- Bird?

Oh, my Lord.

What your name is, bird?
Talk to me, bird.

Bird.

The, uh, skin test...

Excuse me, you are Dr. Reingold?

- Yes, I am.
- I am Misha Vilyenkov.

Hello.

I have to ask you
about a parrot.

Parrot?

The one in...
down in... in... dungeon.

Maybe is wrong word. Uh...

- There is a bird down there.
- Mm-hmm.

A green parrot.

Oh, the little conure.
Is he still with us?

Yes. I come to tell you,
with great amazement,

he can talk.

- No, he mimics.
- Mimics? What is "mimics"?

He repeats what he hears.
He does not talk.

No, he understand.
He's intelligent, Doctor.

I know...

I appreciate your concern,
Mister...

- Vilyenkov.
- Vilyenkov.

But, well, you see these people?

This is what they do.
And this is what I do.

Don't you think if we had an
animal with that intelligence

somebody would have noticed?

I know parrot talk.
He sing song.

He understand speech.
He even insult me.

He call me mop monkey.

He talk.

I can prove you to it.

Would you like some mango?

Mango.

Speak.

Speak.

No, please, listen, sir.

Maybe if I explain better.
If I say...

You've said enough. Let us do
our job and you do yours.

Like, maybe, pick up the trash.

Great.
Now we're both in trouble.

What is problem with you?

You know,
maybe they should stuff you,

scoop you out, fill you with
foam and glue you to fake tree.

You're lonely, I think.

I am lonely.

In Russia,
I was teacher of literature.

In America,
I am cleaner of bird crap.

I miss words.

I miss my language.

I just would like
someone to talk to.

- Join the club.
- What?

I said, join the club.

So I'm not crazy.
You can talk.

- Of course I can talk.
- Then why you not?

Because talking
just gets you into trouble.

- Trouble? Why you say that?
- It's a long story.

I'm Russian.

I like long stories.

All right, Chekhov. Sit down.

It all started with Marie.

- The one in the song.
- Yeah. The one in the song.

Marie!

Marie, come see
what your grandpa brought you.

- G-G-Grandpa!
- My beautiful girl.

W-What d-did you bring me?

Look in the basket, sweetie.

I opened my eyes,
and there she was.

B-Bird.

I didn't know
what this creature was,

but I liked it.

It's someone for her to talk to.
I named him Paulie.

Pretty P-Paulie.

Pretty Marie.

You w-w-want some?

Just mix a little
in there, okay?

O-okay.

G-Go down.

D-D-Do y-you like this?

G-G-Good.

G-G-Good boy.

Marie, can you help Mommy?

This goes on the glass tray.
This goes in the star bowl.

* Lonely
days are gone, I'm a-goin' home

* My baby just
wrote me a letter

* I don't care how much money
I got with me

* I got to get back
to my baby... *

Did you
get something to drink?

- Here you go, guys.
- Oh, that's great. Thanks.

Marie, can you get that bird
off the table?

Marie.

- Paulie's h-helping me.
- He's helping you. I know.

Why don't you two go outside
and play until Daddy gets here?

Y-Y-Y-You like that?

Wait t-t-t-till Daddy sees you.

There she is. There she is.

She's growin'. Hi, Bunny.

How's my big girl?

Say hello
to your daddy, Marie.

Handshake first,
kiss later, okay?

Ooh, that's a strong handshake.

Hey.

When did we get a bird?

G-G-Grandpa g-got him for me.

H-H-His n-name is Paulie.

P-Paulie w-wants a kiss, too.

Okay.

* I loved you the first time

* I saw you

* And I always...
will love you, Marie *

Good night.

I cannot believe
you didn't tell me.

I wanted to write you.

- Well, then, why didn't you?
- I didn't know what to say.

Is she getting any better?
Is it going away?

No, but it won't go away
if you put pressure on her.

I don't think
you put enough pressure on her.

I can't stand to see her suffer.
I can't stand it!

What happens when
she goes to school?

Do you think
she'll be made fun of?

Because I can guarantee you
that she will be.

You tell me.
What do you think we should do?

All this "we love you whatever
you do" is not gonna help.

Great. We'll order her
to stop stuttering?

Is that it?

Okay, y-y-you are
the fairy godmother,

a-a-and I am the princess.
We live in a big castle,

a-a-a-and I have
lots of princess dresses.

Okay, fairy godmother,
m-make me talk right.

A-A-A-A-And p-p-p-please hurry.

All right, Marie. Let's take
your time. There's no hurry.

This is a...?

But-ter-fly.

Ball.

Um, I'll tell you what.

I'll let you take
these cards with you,

and maybe you'll feel more
comfortable practicing at home.

Okay, relax.

Take a deep breath.

Let it out slowly.

Now say "house".

H-H-H...

- House, sweetie, house.
- Hey, how are my girls?

Good.

- How's it goin'?
- Good. Very good.

Good.

What are you workin' on?
Cup. That's right.

- Come on. You can say "cup".
- C-C-C...

That's right, baby. You can do
it. Look at me. Watch me. Cup.

C-C-C-C...

Cup.

Lila, just let her say it. Why
don't you just let her say it?

Look, I'm sorry. You keep saying
it for her. Let her say it.

I'm doing my best!

They told you to say the word?
I don't think so.

Let her say it.

Am I supposed to leave her there
totally frustrated?

Cup.

- Just let her say it.
- Cup.

C-up.

Cup.

C-Cup.

You did it, Marie. You did it!

All it took was
one word and they shut up.

I wanted to learn more.

- What's that?
- Ch-Ch-Chair.

That's a chair.
Give me some of that.

- F-F-Fence.
- Fence.

Fl-Flower.

- What about this?
- R-Rock.

Rock. What are those?

- Eugh, bugs.
- Don't mind if I do.

I'm going to the store.
Wanna take a ride with me?

N-N-No.
Paulie i-i-is helping me...

learn some new words.

No, Bunny, birds don't talk,
and they don't teach, okay?

They just repeat what we say.
They don't understand.

P-P-Paulie understands.

Pretty quiet,
aren't you, Professor?

I was quiet. I'm sorry I was,
but I was afraid of him.

And that's not all
I was afraid of.

Come on. Birds fly.

You were afraid to fly?

I was afraid of heights.

- Until I learned a new word.
- What?

What?

No, no, no...

I had no idea what it was.

Bad idea. Very bad.

But something told me
it was hazardous to my health.

I see claws and teeth and eyes.
And claws and teeth and eyes.

The claws! Look at those claws.

So this fleabag
got run of the place,

and was allowed
to hang out on the couch

where me and Marie
used to watch TV.

I was banished to this
very uncomfortable coat rack,

which they called a "perch".

Hey, kitty, kitty.

And so began
a lifelong trend of speaking,

when I should've
kept my big beak shut.

Here, kitty, kitty.
Come on outside.

Come on. We've got some shrimps
on the barbecue for ya.

Right here. No. Keep... Hey.

Turn around and go outside,
you stupid hair ball.

They're calling you.

That's it. Go outside,
Muffy, or Pumpkin, or duh...

I don't even know your name.

Uh, go, uh, go dig something up
or bury something.

Why are you coming towards me?
No, you...

That's not good.
Don't get on the furniture.

It doesn't match your coat.
Get down.

Get down from the furniture.
You don't even like salad.

That's...

Ah! Look out!

Leave me alone, cat!

I wasn't laughing at you.
Come on. Leave me alone.

Stop!

- Stop it, you bad cat!
- Stupid hair ball.

- Shoo!
- Yeah, shoo!

I don't think she can
tell the difference

between fantasy and reality.

Come on.

You know what she said?
Are you ready for this?

She said the bird told her
the cat started it.

- She said that to you?
- Yeah.

She's five years old.
It's her imaginary friend.

I don't know.

She doesn't have
any other friends.

She hasn't made
any other attachments.

I just...

I think that we should consider
getting rid of the bird.

I don't know, Warren.
She loves that bird.

She loves that bird.

Now where we goin'?

You have to learn
how to fly, Paulie.

No, I don't want to.

- You h-have to.
- Why?

So in case you ever go away,
y-you can fly back to me.

- Away?
- We have to be together, right?

- Right.
- Then f-fly.

Oh. You again.

Come on, Paulie.
D-Don't look down.

Look at the stars.
N-Now spread your wings.

Okay.

Don't look down.
You can do it.

If it's so easy,
why don't you do it?

- Okay, I'll show you.
- All right, come on.

Hey, good shot.
You almost got him.

Anything?

Wow.

Okay, now spread your wings.
D-Don't look down.

Okay, ready? One, two, fly!

Come on. Now, fly. Come on, fly.

Whoa, Marie. Look out!

- Marie! Help us, somebody!
- Help!

It's Marie! Help!

- Oh, baby.
- My God.

Are you okay?

Marie couldn't talk.
The dad couldn't listen.

The mom couldn't cope.

So they got rid of me.

Paulie!

Marie.

- Paulie!
- Marie.

Marie, come back.

- Paulie!
- Marie!

- Paulie!
- Marie!

Paulie!

Fly back to me!

Paulie!

Paulie, I love you!
Fly back to me!

Fly back to me, Paulie!

So they bring you here?

Nah, no. It wasn't that easy
hitting rock bottom.

I did a bunch of things.

First, I did a stint
as a window display

in a place
called Bloomingdale's.

And I was in a brochure
for Costa Rica.

I worked as
a magician's assistant,

but when Zintar
fell on hard times,

he had to choose
between me and the cape.

Guess which one he pawned.

* What's new, pussycat,
whoa, whoa, whoa *

Shut up, you fluffy feathered
flying rat, shut up.

* Pussycat, pussycat,
you are delicious

* And if my wishes
could all come...

Maybe you're uncomfortable in
there? Maybe you need a change.

How about this nice toaster oven
for top brown only?

Come on, Artie. We haven't
pawned anything all day.

Let's catch the number nine
at Belmont. I'm bored.

- You and me both.
- I wanna go home.

Get on line.

Yo, Artie,
today is your lucky day.

Right. Fresh outta the showroom,
right? Where's the receipt?

- Lost it.
- Ten bucks.

Come on, gimme a break.

I'm trying to upgrade
the level of your merchandise.

Hit the brakes, ugly.

Cute. Do you train the bird
to insult your customers?

No, I could tell you're ugly
all by myself.

- How'd he do that?
- He watches television.

What an angle.

I could see how his
unique skills could really

come in handy
to an intelligent guy, huh?

Yeah, I'll let you know
when I see one.

- How much you want for him?
- A lot more than ten bucks.

You'd have to grift for more
than a year to make his numbers.

Which of you three
is the proprietor?

Very funny, toots.
What do you got there?

Oh, this is my easel.
It's a very fine one.

My late husband got it for me,

and I really hate
to part with it, you know?

Whatever. Dead husband aside,
do you wanna pawn or sell?

Well...

The real question is,

are you prepared to throw in
that potholder on your head?

Well, that was extremely rude.

Did you teach him that?

No. That's the thing.
The dirty mouth is all his.

What are you looking at?

You know,
I think I'll take him with me.

Well, I don't think so, lady.
See, I saw the bird first.

Oh, no. I'm afraid you are
not the right owner for him.

Somebody has to teach this
beautiful bird some manners.

Might as well be me.

What's wrong with my manners?

All right.
Let me out now, Grandma.

Very funny. Let me go.
Joke's over.

Hey, stop that.

Keep it up and you'll be
in a cage yourself.

- Come on, would you let me out?
- Hush.

Padre, you see this broad?
She's a birdnapper. Let me out!

Somebody check
this lady's purse.

I bet she's got a hamster
in there.

- Scram.
- Thank you. Jeez.

- Where are you going?
- Home.

- You gonna walk all the way?
- That's right.

Well, why don't you fly?
It's a lot faster.

Can't fly.
* Cha, cha-cha-cha, cha...

You can talk, but you can't fly.
All right, see you around.

All right. See ya.

Uh, you know what?
I thought it over, and I'm back.

Besides,
I don't know where she lives.

- Where who lives?
- Marie.

She's all alone, and we're
supposed to stick together.

Do you think you could use
a little bit of help?

Yes.

- Yes, what?
- Yes, toots.

- Mm, "yes, please".
- Man, you're needy.

Alweather, Alweather, Alweath...
Alweather!

Oh, are we in luck. There's
only one Alweather in this book,

and it's pretty close by.

What do you say we just go over
and surprise her?

Recognize anything?

That's it. That's the house.

That's it, that's it, that's it.
That's the one!

Oh, dear.

I'm sorry, dear.
They've moved away.

- Away?
- Mm-hmm. To Los Angeles.

All right,
let's get back in the cab.

Oh, no. It's clear across
the country. It's 3,000 miles.

Please.

I'm afraid "please" just
won't work in this situation.

But, what's the matter
with New Jersey?

It's nice,
if you give it a chance.

Why does your house have wheels?

Houses are cheaper with wheels.

I was thinking
more along the lines

that houses with wheels
can go places.

Well, not anymore, I'm afraid.

Earl and I used to travel
all of the time, you know?

But things change.

He had even crazier ideas
than you have.

We always used to talk about
going to the Grand Canyon,

but we just never got that far.

Earl said that if you stand
right at the edge

just when the sun comes up,

it's like seeing the first
sunrise in the whole world.

- He was poetic, wasn't he?
- For an ex-Marine.

Hmm, you miss Earl.

- Oh, let's not talk about that.
- You miss Earl.

Eat your dinner.

Like I miss Marie.

- Ready?
- Ready!

- So long, Jersey!
- So long, Jersey!

I thought flying was
scary until I drove with Ivy.

Now, that's scary.

Ah, yes.
You and I are right here,

and Marie is right there.

Right there. Well, not...
You know, not literally.

This is a map, an atlas.
It's a book full of maps.

I'll teach you about books.

Ivy was a great teacher.

She was a philosopher,
an explorer.

Unfortunately, she also
thought she was a singer.

* He has tramped upon
the vintage

* Where the grapes of wrath
are stored

* He has loosed...

Please. I'm a bird.
I have a small brain,

and it's about to explode.

Let's try something
a little more classy.

* What's new pussycat,
whoa, whoa, whoa

* What's new pussycat,
whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

* Pussycat, pussycat,
I've got flowers

* And lots of hours
to spend with you

* So go and powder
your cute little pussycat nose

So when will we get there?

Maybe that's the wrong question.

Maybe we should be asking,

what are we gonna see
along the way?

What wrong turn
are we gonna make

that will take us
someplace unexpected?

Will the weather be for us,
or will it be against us?

Will we lose faith?

Will we get there, or won't we?

You're scaring me.

It's good
to be scared sometimes.

Put your wings up.

That's it. Very good.

You should learn
how to fly, Paulie.

The last time
someone suggested that,

it didn't work out so good.

You're missing out on something

that's probably great.

Hey, why don't you try it
and let me know.

- Are you tired?
- A little bit.

The desert is fun.
What is the biggest desert?

It's the North Pole. It doesn't
have to be hot to be a desert.

It just has to
not have rainfall.

Could we stop at the world's
largest ball of twine?

That'd probably be more
fun than Mount Rushmore.

There's a truck up ahead.
Don't those guys ever get tired?

Ivy, look out!
Get outta the way!

Oh!

You know, maybe your
house shouldn't have wheels.

Oh, dear.

All right, all right.
I'll go get some help.

You stay here. You know, it's...
Don't be frightened.

Let's see.

For all
of her pleases and thank yous,

words weren't
really that important to Ivy.

It's what she saw
that mattered.

Seems to me,
the way it works out,

the things you love most are
the things they take away.

The doctor says
I really mustn't drive any more.

You'll just have to
go ahead without me.

Los Angeles is due west,
right into the setting sun.

I can be your eyes.
I can watch the road for you.

Besides, I can't go without you.

Oh, of course you can.

I'm not very good at goodbyes,
so I think you should go now.

Just right now. And you send me
a postcard when you get there.

Where did I put that comb?

Oh.

Thank you.

And so I stayed.

We nearly home yet?

Go to your left here.
There you go.

You know what you are, Paulie?
You're my seeing-eye parrot.

You've been a dear friend
to me, Paulie.

We're birds of a feather,
you and I.

Betwixt and between, that's us.

So what do we have tonight?
Is it pretty?

Oh, very pretty.

There's more orange now,
and it's getting darker.

Just a little gold left.

The sun must almost be set.

- Can you see any stars yet?
- Not yet.

And then one day,
the cat got her.

There are things
in life you put off,

because you think
you're gonna do them later.

But the real thing
Ivy taught me

is you gotta live
like there may not be a later.

I found a tree,
and I spent the night.

'Cause I wanted to be there
in the morning

for the very first sunrise.

So, you flew all the way here?

Yep, all the way.

- Is long way by yourself.
- Tell me about it.

So what you did next?

Ivy introduced me
to a lot of wonderful things,

but, you know, she left
one very important thing out.

Hmm?

Hola.

Hi, I'm Paulie. Uh, Paul.

Could you help me?
I'm a little lost.

Me llamo Lupe.
Soy una pajara muy bonita.

Huh? Uh, maybe we got off
to a bad start.

Look, my name's Paulie, and I'm
a little lost. I need some help.

Hey, wait. Where you going?
Hey, wait for me.

* All my friends
know the Low Rider...

Hey, you guys,
knock it off.

What are you doing?

Oh.

Hey, you, come on down here.

Yeah, you. Come on.

Okay, what's your story?

Uh, yes. Uh, I'm looking for
someone named Marie Alweather.

But I'm afraid I may be lost.
Can you tell me where I am?

You're in LA. East LA.

LA? LA!
Oh, my gosh, I made it!

I made it! LA!
I don't believe it!

I don't believe it.
You can talk?

They talk.

Them?

They don't talk. I say "taco."
They say "taco."

- Taco, taco, taco.
- Are they okay?

Sure, they're okay.

I don't know about me.
I'm talking to a bird.

Okay, I'm talking to a bird.

- Is her daddy's name Moe?
- Uh-uh. Warren.

Oh.

I'm sorry, amigo. Such an
Alweather is not in this book.

Maybe they have
an unlisted number.

Hmm. Pero, ¿sabes que?

You know what I was thinking?

- Can you carry a tune or dance?
- What do you mean?

Get ready to turn. Da. Turn.

Okay, that's it. Come on.

No.

Tell you what.

Why don't we have
one guy on each end,

and then Lupe in the middle?

Okay, uh, Chaco, uh, Paco...
Hello.

- Come on. Talk to them.
- I'm trying.

- Talk to them in parrot.
- What?

Talk in parrot,
so they'll understand.

- Talk parrot? Right.
- Yeah. Come on now.

Okay... Hey,
where you going? What'd I say?

Man, what did you say?

I don't know.
I don't talk parrot.

Hey! Hey, Paulie!
Where did you go?

Hey, all of you! Get your little
feathered butts back in here.

We gotta rehearse. You think
this stuff just happens?

Uh, I really like you a lot.

I really like you a lot.

Wow. I'm so glad
you feel that way.

Wow. I'm so glad
you feel that way.

- Are you listening?
- Are you listening?

Or are you just repeating?

Well, women can be tough.

Tell me about it.

So, how do you know
if you've met the right one?

Well, for me...

Let me see.

She would be pretty, but smart.

She would have books on her
table and flowers in her hair.

- And...
- And lots of golden feathers.

Well, yes,
important to have high standard.

So, Misha, you got a girlfriend?

No.
Well, once. Little bit.

What? How do you have
a little bit of a girlfriend?

- Well...
- This is interesting. Go on.

Before I'm coming to America,
there was girl.

We were student together
at university.

Sure, we talk about books.
We even fight about them.

She was very smart.
And stubborn.

I say book mean one thing.

She say, "No, Misha.
Book mean other thing."

One time, she act in play,

in front of whole school.

I was working behind curtain,
in dark.

I see her on stage.

She had little flowers
in her hair

and the light make them all...

different color.

And I say to myself,
"My God, she's beautiful."

"Maybe too beautiful for me,
but I will tell her how I feel."

Afterward,
when I'm come near to her...

She stole your words away.

Yes.

She marry my best friend.

He told her how he feel.

At wedding,
she take me aside and say,

"Misha,
I always like you best,...

but I was afraid...

afraid of your silence."

It's important to speak up.

So, you're going to tell me
what happened to Lupe,

or shall I go sweep more floor?

Okay, okay.

I had a girl in LA,
all the mangos I could eat.

Everything was going great.
But you know how it is.

Soon as you think you're okay,

the past comes back
to bite your tail feathers.

- Come on. Let's go, will ya?
- Yeah.

Come on, come on. Sit down.

What are we doing here? You
never take me any place nice.

What are you talking about?
This is nice. Look at this.

Because you're a loser,
that's why.

Would you stop with the loser?
I'm not a loser.

I'm just lookin'
for the right angle.

Angle. Listen to you.

Hey, could I get a drink today?

Any drink, please. Somebody.

Did you see that?

I think I know that bird
from somewhere.

Hey, taco guy! Come on!

Come over here! Yeah.

Hey, I'll give you $50 for
that green parrot over there.

- What? For Paulie?
- I don't know. Yeah.

No, I'm sorry, senor,
he's not for sale.

50 bucks. Use it for something.
He's a parrot.

He could get lost
or get eaten by a goat.

You'd have something
to show for him.

Like I said, thank you,
but he's not for sale.

You know what?
Maybe you can help me, though.

My bird is looking
for his friend, Marie Alweather.

Do you know anybody
by that name?

- Alweather? In East LA?
- Sí.

- What a jerk.
- Okay, well, gracias.

Come on, taco man.
I'm just joking around.

Come on. 50 bucks.

Everybody wants
a piece of the action, huh?

I was thinking about costumes,
you know?

What about
a little fruit hat for Lupe?

You know, like that... what's
her name... Dolores Del Rio.

What's the matter, my friend?

Mm, I know. You're thinking
about Marie, huh?

No, I was thinking about Lupe

wearing nothing
but that fruit hat.

You are some kind of weird bird,
my friend.

But tonight, we sing, hmm?
Have a big time.

Ignacio was all right
for a human.

He knew me better
than I knew myself.

I hadn't forgotten Marie,
but I got a little sidetracked.

I had the prettiest parrot
in LA interested only in me,

I was in show business, and for
once in my life, I was a bird.

* Estoy loca
* She's crazy

- * Mucho crazy
- * Estoy loca por ti, mi amor

- * No te vayas
- * Don't go away

- * Ven aca
- * She's to stay

* Estoy loca por ti, mi amor

- * Estoy loco, estoy loco
- * She is crazy, very loca

* Estoy loco por ti, mi amor

- * No te vayas, ven aca
- * Don't go away, you heard

* Estoy loco por ti, mi amor...

Cops? Yeah, how ya doin'?

I don't normally do this.
I'm trying to be a good citizen.

You know what I mean? I'm down
here at this taco stand,

and I gotta be honest,
it's pretty disgusting.

There's no floor,
no roof, no bathrooms.

I gotta be honest, there's 1,000
maniacs running around here.

There's rats
the size of footballs,

and a guy's serving alcohol
to children.

Is that allowed?
I didn't think so.

Why don't come down?
I'm tryin' to do a good deed.

* I am crazy, I so crazy
* She's crazy, so crazy

* I am crazy for you, my love

* Don't go away,
Come to stay

* No te vayas, ven aca

* 'Cause I am crazy for you,
my amor

* I am crazy for you, my love

* Estoy loca por ti, mi amor

Police! Look! It's the cops!
Come on! Let's get out of here!

What's goin' on?
Where's everybody goin'

Go on! Get out of here!

Lupe, you dropped your hat!

Come on!
Come on, let me out of here!

Where am I?

Would you let me out of here,
please?

- Who are you?
- Benny. You don't remember me?

- Think back. The pawn shop?
- Where's Ignacio?

Who knows?
Probably halfway to Guatemala.

- Why?
- Because he's an illegal.

Oh, yeah?
And what does that make you?

Look, pal.

You're going about finding
your friend Marie the wrong way.

You got dreams, man.
I respect that. I got dreams.

You're never gonna
find your friend

singing under sombreros.

If you want something,
don't just dream about it.

Get out there and take it.

- Take it?
- Yeah, take it.

That's the only way
we'll get a piece of the pie.

- I like pie.
- What?

I said, "I like pie."

Yeah, I like pie, too.

Look at the size
of this place, man.

You're not gonna kiss me,
are ya?

Get outta here.

To find Marie you're gonna need
lots of the green stuff.

- Green stuff?
- Yeah, green stuff.

- Money.
- What for?

What for? For phone books.
That's how you find somebody.

You gotta look 'em up
in a phone book.

It's very expensive.

It's not like somebody comes and
drops a bunch on your doorstep.

Come on, Benny!

What if she ain't in
the phone book? That's what...

Then you gotta hire some
private detective or something.

I don't know, pal.
It's a very expensive operation.

Don't worry, though.
We'll find Marie.

Just gotta come up
with the right plan.

Benny had a lot of plans.

Most stunk, but the one about
hiring a detective was good.

I figured, for the right
amount of green stuff,

any detective worth his
trench coat could find her.

So, we became a team.

Five, zero, seven, zero.

- I'm sorry. Excuse me.
- Watch where you're goin'.

I'm sorry. Excuse me. Okay.

Benny said
money was so important,

deep down, people would
understand if you stole it.

Towards the end of the month,
pickings were a little slim.

I don't know if that's cos they
spent it or cos we stole it.

Move it along, fella.
You're broke.

But the real problem
in all of this was Benny.

He was a small-timer
any way you looked at it.

Jumpin' up and down over 20s

when there were bigger fish
to fry.

Get 'em! Get 'em!

I gotta tell you, Paulie. God!

You're the greatest thing
to ever happen to me.

Hey, thanks, man.

No, I'm serious, Paulie.
You're the best.

Excuse me,
I don't mean to interrupt

your little
testosterone festival,

but the bird hasn't made us
that much money.

Hello? What are you talking
about, "that much money"?

We're doin' great!

I should be, like,
lounging by a pool in a mansion,

wearing a mink coat and,
like, 18-karat diamond earrings.

She's right.
We're wasting our time,

when there are rocks
to be grifted.

What do you know about diamonds?

We met in a pawnshop, Einstein.

You can tell a real diamond
from a fake?

Yeah. I've seen shot glasses
cut better than that.

I cannot believe you, Benito.

You're gonna get me
a real diamond,

and you're gonna help him.

Diamonds? Ruby, it's
a little out of my league.

Your league, but not his.

- Park there.
- Where?

Finally, these canary
brains got the right idea.

A couple of night fly-bys
and I found the perfect target.

We stopped by Ruby's favorite
restaurant for a burrito

before the big heist.

Would you hurry up?

- That was a bad idea.
- Hurry up. Pull over.

Sorry.

Paulie, would you excuse us
for a minute, please?

- Okay.
- There you are. Come on.

I'll talk to you
in a second, pal.

Is that a good idea?
A chimney?

It's not parrot-friendly.
He could twist an ankle.

What is your problem? He's a
freakin' bird! Just tell him.

- Now?
- Now!

All right.

- That Ruby's high maintenance.
- Yeah.

But after tonight, we'll have
enough money to find your Marie.

Come on,
who's the coolest bird in LA?

- Get out of town.
- Paulie's my main man. Right?

Dude.

Go on, Paulie.
Get the jewelry for us.

Go ahead, buddy. Go ahead.

Here comes Santa!

The most important thing

is to leave nothing that links
you to the scene of the crime.

Concentration is everything.

First, you have to
identify your target.

It was a box of cheesy
costume jewelry,

except for one pendant.

I figured 1920s 14-karat gold's
gotta be worth 950.

- What's taking so long?
- Dunno.

Come on. Come on.

Come...

Maybe I should go, you know?
See if he's okay, you know?

- I'm gonna go see if he's okay.
- Benny!

Hold it right there.
Turn around.

Put 'em up! Drop it!

What are you doing
with Grandma's necklace?

Uh... I'm taking it.

Paulie. Paulie.

Oh!

Grandpa!

- What is going on?
- Open the window!

Don't leave me! I'm stuck!
The kid's got a weapon!

Benny! Benny!
Benny, where ya goin'?

Benny! Benny! Benny!

Benny taught me
a lot of things,

but there was one thing
he never mentioned.

What we were doing was wrong,
and you always pay.

- I said I was sorry.
- Here he is.

Come on, would you
let me out of the box?

He talked up a storm on the way.

I'm sure he did. Take a look
at this little fellow.

- Jeez.
- Oh.

Little conure.
Does he have a name?

Yeah, Paulie.

- So, he flew down your chimney.
- Well, that's what he told me.

Ah.

Well, many parrots have
quite extensive vocabularies,

but there's a difference between
cognizant speech and parroting.

"Aviator Supply Center."

He keeps talking
about a Marie Alweather.

I think she might be his owner.

That's not unusual, either.

Lots of people train their birds
to repeat names

and addresses
in case they get lost.

- I'm sure that's the case.
- Do you have a phone book?

- Pardon?
- Please?

He's very polite.

I'm sure that's
just a trained response.

But I'd like to keep him here
a few days

and maybe, uh, run some tests.

Build him up a bit. He looks
a little undernourished.

But, uh, don't worry.

You did the right thing
bringing him here, Gerald.

- We'll take good care of him.
- Okay.

I want you to understand
what it is we do here.

Mostly we just listen
and we watch.

You see, there's this gap
between animals and humans.

And the gap is called speech.

If that gap could be bridged,
we could understand each other.

Won't you consider helping us?

Tell you what. I'm gonna have
you moved out of here tonight.

And I promise you,

I will take you to see Marie
when we're done.

Maybe I'm the one
who should be locked up.

You promise?

I promise.

We'll ask you
some questions.

We'd like for you
to identify the picture.

- What is this?
- Duck.

- What is this?
- Kite. Umbrella.

Look, I don't see
how this is bridging the gap.

I know this is frustrating,
but we have to follow protocol

to prove that you're capable
of cognizant speech.

Everyone can see
that I can talk.

- What is this?
- What is that word again

for a dish composed of meat,
fowl, fish or vegetables,

covered in a layer of paste
and baked?

Oh, yeah. It's a pie.
Then again,

a pie can be a magpie,
a collection of rules,

a copper coin or what you call
a fine-lookin' lady.

If you don't believe me,
look it up, blondie.

Pie can also mean a whole,
of which we crave a piece,

like the whole enchilada,
the big salami, the grand prize.

The talking bird which you hope
will make you rich.

That kind of pie. Me! I'm
the pie. And if you don't mind

taking your fingers
out of me for a moment,

I'd like to get some lunch,
you lab rat!

How do I score that?

You said that?

I told you, talking just
gets you into trouble.

No. It's not that.

It's how you say things.
You have to be careful.

Woman say, "You like my hat?"

You say, "No, make you look like
floor lamp."

You get punch in nose.

I got worse than that.

Yes, Dr. Manning, he's asleep.

This will put us on the map.
This will change everything.

He is the most
extraordinary creature

I've ever encountered.

Yeah, well,
I have grant committees

from the NIH and the NSF.

A guy from National Geographic
is talking about a special.

Mmm.

Actually, I have located
the owner. It's Marie Alweather.

- She lives in...
- Marie?

Uh, yes.

Yes, I understand.

No, I agree.

There's no legal requirement
that we have to return him.

He's the property
of the Institute now.

What?

- So, I'll see you tomorrow.
- Property?

Okay. Bye-bye.

It is the thing
that makes us us.

And because language is so tied
to what it is to be human,

we have always been urged not to
attribute human characteristics,

like consciousness
and logic and feelings,

to our non-speaking
animal subjects.

Until now.

What we are proposing

is a multi-disciplinary
research program,

that will not only unlock the
mystery of animal communication,

but get to the heart
of language itself.

And just as every journey
starts with a single step,

this program starts with
a single, extraordinary subject.

Hello, Paulie.
How are you today?

Squawk!
Paulie want a cracker!

I thought you liked mangos
the best.

Paulie want a cracker.

Well, we can get
a lot of crackers later.

Let's, uh, take a look
at the flash cards.

They wanted
a talking bird? Fine.

I was gonna give them
a talking bird.

- What is this?
- Up yours.

- What is this?
- Up yours, jackass!

This is just
opening-night jitters.

- What are you doing?
- Up yours!

- Why are you doing this?
- You promised.

Liar. Liar!

Liar! Liar! Liar!

Liar! Liar! Liar!

Close the door!

Can't have him
trying to fly away again.

He could
seriously injure himself.

I'll cut primary
flight feathers. It won't hurt.

No. Oh, come on.

- This is for your own good.
- Don't!

They were cutting me,

taking away the one thing that
made me different from them.

No!

I never talked
to anybody again.

When I started biting people,
they moved me out of the sun.

When was that?

I can't even remember.

Wrap it up down there.
Don't forget to lock up.

We will find your Marie.

That's what they all said.

Now, we'll get you out, Paulie.

What... What are you...

What are you doing, Misha?
Come on.

I don't think you know
what you're doing.

They could have you deported.
Come on, Misha.

You're making too much noise.

You're destroying
laboratory property.

They're gonna fire you!

Misha.

Come, Paulie.
Come on.

Don't be afraid.

Come.

Come, Paulie.

Let's go.

You tell me Dr. Reingold
find where Marie lives.

Maybe address
is still in his office.

Not in "Paulie" file.
Not in "Parrot" file.

Not in any bird file.

Look in the human file.
Look under little girls.

- Look in the "Marie" file.
- "Marie?"

Alweather. Alweather!

Marie Alweather. MA.

What? What is it?

"MA."

MA. Marie Alweather.

1440 Spruce Lane,
Cambria, California.

Hello?

Excuse me, please.
Sorry I'm calling so early.

Does Marie Alweather live there?

Marie?

Can you tell her I found Paulie?

Marie! Marie!
Hey, Marie, it's me!

- Shh.
- Marie! Marie! It's me, Paulie!

No, uh, I-I-I'm telling you...

- Paulie. I found him.
- Marie! Marie! Marie!

What do you think you're doing?

Uh, I've come cleaning office.
So... But I later come back.

What's the bird doing
out of his cage?

Well...

Get the bird.

Come on.

- Look, just grab...
- No. No!

No! Hey!

What are you doing?

- I'm taking him.
- You're what?

I'll take him
where he belongs.

He belongs to the Institute.

No, he belongs to little girl
who needs him.

And you knew.
You knew it all the time.

Paulie, come.

Who do you think you are?

I am Mikeal
Andreovich Vilyenkov.

And you are a liar and a coward
and a very rude man.

And you're fired.

No. No. I am not fire.

- I am quit.
- You...

Uh-oh.

Stop that man!

It's locked!

Get out of the way!

Get somebody!

Open this door!

Open this door!

Don't do this!

- Paulie.
- Wait.

- Come. Come.
- Wait!

- Where you are going?
- Come on. Help me.

Yeah, it's just
about half a mile down the road.

Bye. Good luck.

I think this is the one.

I can't breathe.

Look.

It's her.
Misha, it's her.

Now I can't breathe.

Marie? Marie?

- No, no, no. Please, wait.
- It's not her.

- Not?
- It's not Marie.

- Maybe it's wrong house.
- It's always the wrong house.

Paulie?

Paulie, is that really you?

It's me, Paulie. It's Marie.

No.

Paulie, don't be afraid.

I just grew up, that's all.

Go away. Leave me alone.

Paulie?

I'm sorry. We are in shock.

- Paulie, come back here.
- It's not Marie. It's not her.

* You're the song
that the tree sings

* When the wind blows

* You're a flower

* You're a river

* You're a rainbow...

Marie?

* I loved you the first time

* I saw you

* And I always will love you,
Marie *

Marie!

You got big!

Mm-hmm.

- You flew.
- What?

- You flew, Paulie.
- I did?

- Yes, you did!
- How? His wings were clipped.

The feathers must have
grown back. They always do.

No.

- You can fly.
- No.

Oh, yes, you can.

Whoo-hoo!

Oh, this is my little neighbor,
Kimmy.

I told you about the parrot
who helped me when I was little.

- Uh-huh.
- He's home.

- Can I play with him sometime?
- Yes.

I can't thank you enough.

You're welcome.
So, I will go now.

Oh, no, no.
Please don't rush off.

- Won't you come inside?
- No, it's okay.

Uh, you will have
much to talk about.

Uh, goodbye. Goodbye, Paulie.

Misha, where you goin'?

She has flowers in her hair.

I bet she has books
on her table.

- Paulie...
- What is he talking about?

I'm not always sure.

Misha, don't be afraid to speak.

I'd love it if you stayed.

You know, I would like that.
I would like that very much.

Paulie, how did you find me?

Well, it's a long story.

It's the only kind he knows.