A Birder's Guide to Everything

Movie review by S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media
A Birder's Guide to Everything Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 13+

Teen pursues rare bird in slow-moving coming-of-age film.

PG-13 2014 86 minutes
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Parents say

age 14+

Based on 1 review

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Birder's Guide to Everything is a coming-of-age film with a little bit of sexuality and lots of strong and crude language. Though there's plenty of humor in the movie, the untimely death of the central teen boy's mother is a theme that runs throughout, adding some sadness and grief to the story. There's some very mild flirting and a quick peek at a woman's breast, plus a few drug references.

Community Reviews

Jennifer S.
Jennifer S. Adult
May 6, 2017
age 14+

Way too much crude sexual language

I watched this with my 11 year old daughter because she loves birds and birding. I was really disappointed with both the story itself as well as the underlying sexual themes. The story is basically about some kids who go on an adventure to find a rare bird. There are some side stories happening, such as family dynamics, etc. but not enough to fill up the entire 2 hours with a meaningful movie. What bothered me most about this movie was the abundance of crude sexual remarks (talking about wanting to do it to girls "doggie style", etc.) and lack of anything equal between the genders. The main characters are boys with two girls playing side roles. During the entire movie there are no conversations at all where two girls talk to each other. The only single word spoken is a rude remark from one girl to the other, calling her "girl". The girl that goes with the boys to search for the mysterious bird comes with them because her passion is photography and she wants to take pictures of the bird. She has been a photographer for 4 years but once she is around the boys she looses all interest in her camera and doesn't take it out, instead choosing to simply follow the boys around. Even when the bird appears, she doesn't have her camera and has to scramble for it as she suddenly remembers she is a photographer. I would have really liked to have seen a more equal role between the genders as well as cutting out some of the crude language that doesn't serve the storyline at all.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

David (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is a shy teen who's obsessed with bird-watching and having trouble accepting that his widower father -- David's mother, who shared her own love of birds with her son, passed away -- is about to get remarried. After spotting what might be an extremely rare species of duck, one that's been extinct for years, David and his pals decide to stake out a local nature preserve in the hopes of confirming this important discovery. This on the weekend of his father's wedding. A local bird expert (Ben Kingsley) joins the expedition and helps David learn some surprising history about his late mother. But will David make it back home in time for his dad's nuptials?

Is It Any Good?

The movie is heartwarming and charming, if un-energetic, with a cast of mostly likeable people struggling with real issues. David's birding provides him a connection to his mother, whom he misses very much -- a story line that's rich in material to explore.

If only it weren't eclipsed by the quest for the bird. Though presented as a grand adventure, it provides little actual conflict (save for a few red herrings thrown in), and takes up a good portion of the film without advancing the story much. Little happens in this film, and it feels slower than it's breezy 86 minutes. The ending is touching, but isn't especially surprising, and even potential conflicts that are loudly foreshadowed (will David lose the wedding rings?!) amount to nothing. Birder's Guide has its heart in the right place, but doesn't soar.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the characters in the movie. Do they seem realistic? Does any of their behavior remind you of your friends or people at school?

  • What message do you think the filmmakers wanted you to get out of the movie? What clues lead you to this conclusion?

  • What was the purpose of the nudity in the movie? Did it connect to the story in some way?

Movie Details

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