"Place to Be": A Delightfully Oddball Road Trip Film with Ellen Burstyn and A Bird

If you told me that an Oscar-wining nonagenarian, a pigeon and Pamela Anderson were getting together for a cinematic joyride, I'd probably raise an eyebrow. But Hollywood legend and leading lady Ellen Burstyn has managed to transform this potentially awkward concept into something far more amusing and endearing than expected. With the film "Place to Be", we get a sentimental, quirky drama, sort of a lovechild between “Trains, Planes, and Automobiles” and “Harold and Maude”.

It’s a strange yet charming narrative a viewer has to embrace. Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó is primarily to thank for this. The acclaimed director has a knack for crafting stories that veer off the beaten path, demonstrated in previous English-language ventures like “Pieces of a Woman” and “At the Sea”. Here, he showcases a refreshing friendship dynamic, or a 'gro-mance' if you will, between a grandma and a middle-age guy.

Burstyn plays Brooke, a widow blessed with an occasional acerbic wit, who stumbles upon an unexpected guest in her living room – a homing pigeon. Instead of shooing the flighty intruder away, she embarks on a mission from her home in Chicago to New York City, determined to reunite the bird with its rightful owner. This mission becomes considerably less ludicrous and more endearing thanks to her compelling performance.

Her path intersects with Nelson (played by Taiki Waititi), a hapless real estate agent desperate to sell a swanky apartment in Tribeca. Initially more rivals than companions, circumstances conspire to intertwine their paths, enveloping them in an odd journey from Chicago to Manhattan.

Burstyn's Brooke and Waititi's Nelson, while hauling the wayward pigeon across town, visit a rooftop pigeon coop in Bushwick managed by Lena Waithe, and even witness a high-stakes pigeon race in Jersey. Amidst this bird-obsessed madness is a scene where Burstyn surprisingly downplays the free love movement of the '60s, a testament to her ability to deliver laughs and authenticity seamlessly.

As the narrative continues to unfurl, there's a hint suggesting that the pigeon, named Intruder, symbolizes Brooke's late husband. However, it serves more as a plot navigator, pushing the friendship between Brooke and Nelson into the forefront. The film takes an uncomfortable turn into potential romantic territory in its closing scenes, which thankfully doesn't pan out. At its core, "Place to Be" is a testament to unconventional friendships and seeking companionship in unexpected places.

The movie could easily have descended into a murky pool of sentimentality. Yet, Burstyn's exceptional portrayal of Brooke grants her character enough depth and authenticity to keep the film afloat. It's a joy to see a seasoned actress like her deftly inject a touch of Hollywood realism, making the film an unexpectedly entertaining road trip.