Paulie is a film about a sass-talkin' parrot who travels across America in search of his owner. While it would be tough to screw up a can't-miss premise like that, it would also be fairly easy to turn it into merely passable children's fare, a trap Paulie avoids at nearly every turn. Inexplicably blessed with the ability to converse intelligently, Paulie (voiced well by Jay Mohr) is separated from his stuttering young owner (Hallie Kate Eisenberg), and, as part of his decades-long quest to find her again, encounters a colorful cast of characters. In addition to having an appealing animal as its lead, Paulie's attention to fleshing out its supporting characters sets it apart. For example, Mohr also appears as a small-time hoodlum who kidnaps Paulie in order to help him commit robberies. While it would be easy to paint his character as a two-dimensional villain, Mohr comes off as a more or less well-meaning shmuck who, while dishonest, has a genuine affection for his feathered companion. A first-rate cast of veteran actors and comedians—including Gena Rowlands, Tony Shalhoub (Big Night), Cheech Marin, and Buddy Hackett, upon whom the character of Paulie seems partially based—helps, too. Though at times a bit too breezy, with some characters and subplots abandoned abruptly, Paulie is a superior children's film that won't bore grown-ups.