A series of good scenes anchored by great performances that doesn't really ever come together. You can feel Clint's love for the music in every frame, especially in the performance scenes. I'd love to see a jazz concert film shot by Eastwood. Hopefully Don Cheadle learns from this film for his upcoming Miles Davis biopic.

A great performance by Forest Whittaker can't save this plodding biopic about one of history's greatest jazz musicians, Charlie "Bird" Parker.

A biopic on Charlie "Bird" Parker, Clint Eastwood crafts this film as a labor of love. His love for Jazz music is apparent with this film, and its a well told and acted biopic. Clint Eastwood has tremendous flair in telling a great story, and he tells Charlie Parker's story with knowledge on the subject matter at hand. The film is dark and sad. Parker lived a sad life and this is what unfolds on the film. Bird is a terrific biopic on a tremendously talented musician. This is one of the best biopics I've seen seen. As a diehard fan of Heavy Metal and rock music, I thoroughly enjoyed something different such as a film about a Jazz musician. If you want a terrific biopic on a tremendous musician, then Bird is for you.

Eastwoods excellent take on the short and tragic life of Jazz legend Charlie Parker perfectly captures the mood and atmosphere of the era,with a superb performance from Forrest Whittaker has the alcoholic drug addicted game changer,a much better film than I remembered it being,next up on my Jazz week Round Midnight.

A series of good scenes anchored by great performances that doesn't really ever come together. You can feel Clint's love for the music in every frame, especially in the performance scenes. I'd love to see a jazz concert film shot by Eastwood. Hopefully Don Cheadle learns from this film for his upcoming Miles Davis biopic.

First hour is avant-garde in its lack of structure and context. Settles into conventional groove, but still wondrous.

Clint Eastwood brings his lifelong passion of jazz to the screen in the form of a biopic about saxophonist Charlie "Yardbird" Parker, here played by Forest Whitaker. The film flashes back and forth from Bird's early years, meeting other well-known jazz figures such as Dizzie Gillespie (Samuel E. Wright). The film primarily focuses on Bird's turbulent relationship with his with Chan (Diane Venora) as he battles drug addiction and fame.

The direction is solid and it is your better-than-average biopic but a tad over long. Whitaker and Venora play the characters brilliantly, both showcases in their careers and there's no faulting the supporting cast. Jazz fans will probably appreciated it more. However, it can be enjoyed by all through the performances.

Not Eastwood's best but it helped but a great performance by Whitaker.

Forest Whitaker's acting with a saxophone was incredible.