The STARLING-Starring Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd and Kevin Klein

Lily (Melissa McCarthy) and her husband Jack (Chris O'Dowd) are a loving couple in this comedy-drama whose lives are shattered with the sudden death of their infant daughter, Katie.  The devastating loss is too much for Jack to bear.  Jack attempts to asphyxiate himself but thankfully saved by his wife.  Lily is left alone to manage her grief while Jack receives professional help in a group mental institution.  Grief is a very individual process for everyone; even couples must process alone.  The STARLING, directed by Oscar nominated Theodore Melfi ("Hidden Figures" and "St. Vincent") is an earnest film of coping with loss.  The unconsolable loss of a child and the demands it makes upon a couple's union are convincingly portrayed by the talented, comedic actors McCarthy and O'Dowd.  Lily is striving to function through her grieving while maintaining her sanity.  Gardening was a passion Lily returns to with a vengeance only to be physically embattled with a bird that is fighting for territory.  The bird's attacks on Lily are silly but serve to navigate the film.  The bird, a starling, gashes Lily's forehead.  Lily turns to the aid of a local vet, Dr. Larry (Kevin Klein) for first aid, bird tutorials and physiological support.  The preposterous connection between Dr. Larry and Lily would falter in less capable hands if not for the exceptional performances of the stellar actors Klein and McCarthy.  There's murmurings of compassion nestled within understandings that we are not meant to live alone.  Relying on others and offering aid is healthy and natural.  Brilliant minor casting with Daveed Digs and Skyler Gisondo give loft to what might have proven a clunky melodrama.   The STARLING is a film that could get easily looked over but is worthy of watching.