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Home / Best Quotes / The Starling (2021) Best Movie Quotes

The Starling (2021) Best Movie Quotes

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Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Chris O’Dowd, Kevin Kline, Timothy Olyphant, Daveed Diggs, Skyler Gisondo, Laura Harrier, Rosalind Chao, Kimberly Quinn, Loretta Devine

OUR RATING: ★★★☆☆

Story:

Netflix comedy-drama directed by Theodore Melfi. The Starling (2021) centers on married couple, Lilly and Jack (Melissa McCarthy and Chris O’Dowd), who after suffering a loss, leads Jack to head off to deal with his grief on his own, while Lilly remains dealing with her own guilt. After Lilly finds a combative Starling has nested in her backyard that begins to harass her, on her journey to expel the Starling, Lilly finds guidance from Larry (Kevin Kline), a quirky psychologist-turned-veterinarian with a troubled past of his own. The two form a unique and unlikely friendship as they each help the other to explore, acknowledge and confront their problems.

 

 

Our Favorite Quotes:

'Some things are just out of our control. And the sooner you figure out what they are, the faster you can let them go.' - Lilly Maynard (The Starling) Click To Tweet

 

Best Quotes


 

Lilly Maynard: I’ve always found Bob Ross very sexy. You know, that hair, the mom jeans. I’m all in.


 

Jack Maynard: I was watching Katie sleep earlier on. I did that thing where I fast forward into the future, and I can see who she’s become, and whatnot. And I did it, and it was incredible. She’s a podiatrist.
Lilly Maynard: Our child’s a podiatrist?
Jack Maynard: In Cleveland. Doing really well. Third biggest in her firm. She drives a Lexus. Like, four years-old, but it’s pretty good.


 

Lilly Maynard: I always thought she’d be like a butcher.
Jack Maynard: A butcher?
Lilly Maynard: A butcher. A vegan butcher. You know, so she’d take carrots, and carve little rib eyes, or her pork chops that’d really be made from cauliflower.


 

Fawn: [referring to Larry] Can you believe this guy used to be a therapist? He can’t even talk to animals. And now he has to talk to animals and owners. It’s so frustrating.


 

Travis Delp: Sweet tiny Jesus. What the hell is that? Gum selfie? Everyone is distracted. Nobody works.


 

Regina: Changes are scary, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
Lilly Maynard: [to Jack] Scary? We’re not scared. Right?


 

Regina: Are you seeing anyone?
Lilly Maynard: I see people all the time. I see you, right now.
Regina: Okay, Lilly. You have to do the work too.


 

Regina: You know, there’s a guy I used to work with that lives down your way. A therapist. Maybe you could give him a call.
Lilly Maynard: [reads the name on the card] Larry Fine? Like The Three Stooges?


 

Regina: You know, it’d be nice to see someone, Lilly, before you have to see someone.
Lilly Maynard: Yeah, well, I’ll see you next week.


 

Dr. Manmohan: How are you sleeping?
Jack Maynard: Terrific. Thank you.
Dr. Manmohan: Are you eating okay?
Jack Maynard: Oh, yes. Yes. I mean, the food up here is exquisite. I don’t know if they give Michelin stars to mental health facilities, but if they did…


 

Fawn: What’s your pet’s name?
Lilly Maynard: Well, that’s just it. I don’t have a pet.
Fawn: No pet?
Lilly Maynard: No.
Fawn: Dr. Larry, Lilly has an appointment, but no pet.
Dr. Larry Fine: That’s a first.


 

Helen: [referring to her dog] I want his marbles knocked off.
Dr. Larry Fine: Helen, it’s called neutering. Nobody’s here to get their marbles knocked off, I presume.
Lilly Maynard: I’m as advertised.


 

Dr. Larry Fine: I’ve been out of the mental health field. I left it ten years ago.
Lilly Maynard: To become a vet? Isn’t that kind of weird?
Dr. Larry Fine: It’s an easy explanation really, but let’s leave it at weird.


 

Dr. Larry Fine: What about you?
Lilly Maynard: Me? Oh, I’m fine too.
Dr. Larry Fine: So Regina sent you to see me because you’re fine.
Lilly Maynard: Well, it wasn’t my idea.
Dr. Larry Fine: But you’re here.


 

Lilly Maynard: My daughter, our baby, died. Just over a year ago now. SIDS, that’s what they told us.
Dr. Larry Fine: Oh. That’s awful.
Lilly Maynard: My husband Jack didn’t handle it so good.
Dr. Larry Fine: And you did?
Lilly Maynard: No. No, I’m… It’s a good question.


 

Dr. Larry Fine: I just don’t do this sort of thing anymore.
Lilly Maynard: Well, no offense, but you can kind of tell.


 

Ben: Oh, Velma. That’s, what is that?
Velma: It’s an emoji. The poop one.
Ben: Looks very accurate.
Velma: Well, when do I get to put it in the oven?
Ben: Soon, dear. Very soon.


 

Dr. Larry Fine: The bird obviously thought you were a threat.
Lilly Maynard: Well, I am now.

 

'There will be good days, and there will be bad days. Living is predictable in that way. Embrace routine. It's good for you.' - Dr. Manmohan (The Starling) Click To Tweet

 

Dr. Larry Fine: You might want to stay out of your yard for a while.
Lilly Maynard: It’s my f***ing yard.
Dr. Larry Fine: You always this angry?
Lilly Maynard: What am I supposed to do, call the cops?


 

Dr. Larry Fine: Are you familiar with stage three of the grieving process?
Lilly Maynard: I’m assuming that follows stage two?
Dr. Larry Fine: Not necessarily. But generally. It’s bargaining and anger. Nobody ever talked to you about this?
Lilly Maynard: Nope. What comes after that?
Dr. Larry Fine: Depression.
Lilly Maynard: Great. I can’t wait.
Dr. Larry Fine: You might not have to wait too long.


 

Dr. Larry Fine: What did the bird look like?
Lilly Maynard: I don’t know. Dark, wings.
Dr. Larry Fine: That narrows it down.


 

Dr. Larry Fine: In the meantime, stay away from that new neighbor of yours.
Lilly Maynard: Yeah, new neighbor. That’s a good one.


 

Lilly Maynard: Do you have anything that might scare birds away?
Alice: Bird deterrent?
Lilly Maynard: Yeah. Bird-go-away-ent.
Alice: That’s funny. I like a good joke. How do you feel about spikes?
Lilly Maynard: No, I don’t kind of need to kebab them.


 

Lilly Maynard: Never going to believe what I’m watching. It’s one of those religious shows, The Higher Power. Sounds like a utility company. Or a pot store. Do the kids still call it pot? Feels like they’d have a cooler way of saying that now, or an emoji. Well, I’m sure they have an emoji, right? They have it for everything.


 

Lilly Maynard: Guess you don’t talk with your patients that often.
Dr. Larry Fine: Oh, you mean because they’re animals? Oh, no. We talk all the time. Tends to be a one-sided conversation, but fine with me.


 

Lilly Maynard: Is this how it works?
Dr. Larry Fine: How what works?
Lilly Maynard: This.
Dr. Larry Fine: Oh, you think… No, no, no. If we were doing that, I’d just say, “Sorry our time is up. Take this pill.”


 

Dr. Larry Fine: You know, sometimes we push people away just to see if they’ll come back.


 

Lilly Maynard: You know, they used to be dinosaurs. Birds did.
Dr. Larry Fine: Yeah.
Lilly Maynard: You probably knew that because you’re a vet.
Dr. Larry Fine: I knew that even before I was a vet.

See more The Starling Quotes


 

Lilly Maynard: [referring to the bird] I do not want it to come back.
Big Daddy: There’s really only one way to do that. Remediate.
Lilly Maynard: You mean…
Big Daddy: Exterminate.
Lilly Maynard: Like, kill it?
Big Daddy: We don’t like to use that word. It’s inhumane.


 

Big Daddy: There are four hundred billion birds on this planet, lady.
Lilly Maynard: That seems awfully high.
Big Daddy: It’s not.
Lilly Maynard: It seems very high.
Big Daddy: It’s not.


 

Lilly Maynard: It’s really four hundred billion?
Big Daddy: It’s a plague.


 

Jack Maynard: [referring to Lilly] I don’t know how to get back there. I can’t be who I was for her.
Dr. Manmohan: So, what is your plan?
Jack Maynard: I just need a minute to figure out what happens next.


 

Lilly Maynard: [referring to the bird killed by the seed poison] It was really wrong. It was bad. And I shouldn’t have done it. You know, I’m dealing with some pretty heavy s**t right now, if you couldn’t tell. Because everybody’s rolling along, they’re living their lives like nothing happened, you know? And I’m saying, “Stop.” Because I want to get off for a little bit.


 

Dr. Larry Fine: How did you find me?
Lilly Maynard: Only one “L Fine. DVM” in the directory. It’s a dope rapper name if you ever…
Dr. Larry Fine: I don’t rap.


 

Dr. Larry Fine: [to Lilly] This whole thing, it’s not about Katie. You’ll talk about her, you know? It’s about Jack and you. Jack and you. How do you restart? How do you have a marriage, now?


 

Dr. Larry Fine: You blame yourself.
Lilly Maynard: Who’s to say anybody’s to blame?
Dr. Larry Fine: I do.
Lilly Maynard: Oh, that’s s**tty, Larry.
Dr. Larry Fine: Not because it’s right, or wrong, or good, or bad, but because that’s what we do. We can’t stand the idea of something so tragic happening for no reason at all. So. And emotions have to find a way out, and they always do. So we kick the cat, or we kick the dog, or poison a bird. And worst of all, we turn on ourselves.


 

Jack Maynard: I mean, you really think that time is going to make all of this okay? It’s going to make us okay?
Lilly Maynard: I’m not saying that. I’m just saying that we can’t stay here like this. This is not good.
Jack Maynard: I know. But I don’t know how I fit anymore. I don’t know how we fit, how any of it works. I’m just not like you, Lilly.
Lilly Maynard: You’re not like me? I carried her inside me for nine months. So why are you here?


 

Jack Maynard: Every morning, when I wake up, the first thing I hear is our baby crying. And in that brief moment, I get to imagine that I just wake up. Like I always did. That precious moment of agony, it’s the highlight of my day. So please, don’t talk to me about time, because I’ve got loads of it, Lilly. And I hate it. It never ends.


 

Lilly Maynard: [after Jack has requested not to see visitors] You want space? I’ll give you space. I’ll give you an-hour-both-ways space. You never ever thought about what I did, did you? Not once! Not even once! I feel s**t too, Jack! You don’t want to see me? You know what? I don’t want to see you! I don’t want to see you either! Did you ever once think about that, that I don’t want to see you? Get another visitor!


 

Dr. Larry Fine: [referring to the dog] She’s in a lot of pain, and the quality of her life is going to… I’m talking about the quality of her life. I’m talking about the quality of life to a ten year-old.


 

Dr. Larry Fine: This isn’t the best time, Lilly.
Lilly Maynard: Well, no s**t, Larry. I’ve been scratched off the guest list in a mental hospital by my own husband.


 

Dr. Larry Fine: Go and talk to Fawn, and make an appointment.
Lilly Maynard: Make an appointment? Aren’t you supposed to be helping me? Isn’t that what this is? Non-therapy therapy, pretend therapy, whatever? Isn’t that what we’ve been doing? What, am I on this island all alone?
Dr. Larry Fine: I’m not a therapist anymore. And I am certainly not your therapist.
Lilly Maynard: You got that right. Because you’re a s**t one. Maybe that’s why you quit.


 

Lilly Maynard: I mean, what is it that makes this so much better, huh? Is it because cats don’t talk back?
Dr. Larry Fine: No, they don’t. They do, however, make appointments.


 

Dr. Larry Fine: What do you want from me? You want some kind of answer? You want me to say everything’s going to be okay?
Lilly Maynard: Yeah. Yeah, Larry. Answers are good. People want answers.
Dr. Larry Fine: I don’t have the answers. I never did. I just talked. And the moment I figured that out, I quit and stopped pretending.


 

Dr. Larry Fine: You think you can fix Jack? You think that’s the solution?
Lilly Maynard: What am I supposed to do? I’m supposed to quit? Like him? Or like you?
Dr. Larry Fine: At least quitting is an active choice. Why don’t we quit? I’m so sorry. I never should’ve started this. It’s my fault. Let’s just agree to not do this anymore, okay?
Lilly Maynard: Sure thing, Larry.


 

Travis Delp: Lilly, what the hell are you doing?
Lilly Maynard: Doing the price changes that you asked me to do.
Travis Delp: Since when do we charge a nickel for a package of feminine hygiene products? Or a bag of crispy fish fry? Or just about every other damn item in the store?


 

Dr. Larry Fine: The problem in dealing with a territorial creature, such as a starling, is that people begin to take it personally. I don’t think the laws of nature are intrinsically right or wrong, until you’re faced with something that’s just so inexplicable, so randomly cruel. And you try to find a reason for it. And when you can’t find any, I guess that’s when it starts to get pretty personal.


 

Jack Maynard: Did she tell you why I’m here?
Dr. Larry Fine: Yes.
Jack Maynard: So she came to you for help because you’re her shrink, but in a vet form.
Dr. Larry Fine: Okay. She came to talk. And I’m afraid I just didn’t do a very good job of that.


 

Jack Maynard: [to Larry] You came here to make you feel better. Well, you did it. We talked. So, feel better.


 

Lilly Maynard: Some things are just out of our control. And the sooner you figure out what they are, the faster you can let them go. Look at that. You got a philosophy.


 

Lilly Maynard: [as Larry is trying to help the bird] Have you not done this before?
Dr. Larry Fine: No, I haven’t. Have you? You want to wait for a specialist?
Lilly Maynard: Is that an option?


 

Fawn: What do you need?
Dr. Larry Fine: Well, surgical soap, sterile drape, and vodka.
Fawn: Vodka? Oh, for you. We have a bottle of gin.
Dr. Larry Fine: That’ll do.


 

Regina: Tonight, I’d like to talk about the importance of being honest. With ourselves. Velma, would you like to start?
Velma: I’m sick of all the damn talking.
Regina: Okay. That was honest.


 

Jack Maynard: I’m depressed. That’s why I’m here. My little girl passed away. And then I tried to pass myself away. That’s not funny. But that is what I tried to do. And I thought it was because of Katie. That was my, that is my daughter’s name. Katie. But if I’m being honest with myself, I have been in and out of this state since I was in my twenties. And I don’t know how to get out of it.


 

Jack Maynard: I quit on myself so fast. And then I quit on the people who love me. I mean, my wife.


 

Jack Maynard: My wife wouldn’t know how to quit. Wouldn’t know where to start. She just keeps at it. Just keeps hoping, and believing, and moving around in the world. And I hate her for it. And I love her so much for it at the same time. So much that I want to not quit with her. Not for her. I want to not quit with her.


 

Dr. Larry Fine: Starlings are different than other birds. When they mate, they build a nest together, and they protect the nest. Together. They even feed the hatchlings together. They’re just not meant to exist in the world alone, on their own.
Lilly Maynard: Real subtle stuff, Larry.
Dr. Larry Fine: I thought so.


 

Lilly Maynard: I’ve been holding down the fort for a year, and I haven’t had five minutes to think about my own feelings. We never seem to get around to that, right? Which is pretty f***ing selfish, isn’t it, Jack? So when you get back, s**t’s going to change. Things are going to be said, tears are going to be shed, and then we’re going to move on and move up. And we’re going to find a different, but even better life than the one we had, because I am not interested in some kind of lateral move.


 

Lilly Maynard: [to Jack] And you’re going to say sorry to me for trying to take you from me. You’re going to say it every day. You’re going to say it every day for the rest of our lives. And that’s going to be a very long, long time. Because we’re going to live a long life, Jack. And we’re going to do it together. So I’m going to hang up on you now, because that would make us even-steven, because you hung up on me, so. Besides, I’ve got to go feed a bird that I tried to kill.


 

Dr. Manmohan: So you’re feeling good.
Jack Maynard: Yes, I am. But what if I stop feeling good? What if it doesn’t last?
Dr. Manmohan: That’s a possibility.


 

Jack Maynard: Can I just say, I found our time together fairly unhelpful overall?
Dr. Manmohan: But you’ve made progress.
Jack Maynard: I have. I just don’t know if it was because of you.


 

Dr. Manmohan: There will be good days, and there will be bad days, Jack.
Jack Maynard: Going to miss these gems.


 

Dr. Manmohan: Living is predictable in that way. Embrace routine. It’s good for you.
Jack Maynard: Ah, yeah. The routine of living. Make dinner. Go to bed. Wake up. Make your bed. Kiss your wife.
Dr. Manmohan: But eventually, you’ll go back to work. You’ll be around children again. Maybe you can start planting in your garden. And one day, you will say your daughter’s name without thinking about it. It will just slip out in remembrance and not in anguish. And that’ll be that.
Jack Maynard: That was actually pretty good.
Dr. Manmohan: Thank you.
Jack Maynard: Maybe there’s hope for you yet.


 

Lilly Maynard: Did I mention that we have a new recliner?
Jack Maynard: Maybe.
Lilly Maynard: It’s kind of leather-esque. It smells like, a little like beef jerky.
Jack Maynard: Well, that’s a smell I generally like.


 

Jack Maynard: [jokingly, referring to his gift] I presume that this makes up for everything.
Lilly Maynard: [referring to the light switch cover] We’ll cut a hole in it.
Jack Maynard: That’s smart. That’s smart. Just cut a hole in it.
Lilly Maynard: Otherwise, you’re really, you’re forcing a choice of being in constant darkness, or constant light. And that’s just nuts. I mean, no offense.
Jack Maynard: No, that’s fair.


 

Lilly Maynard: [as they’re about to go into their garden] Okay. Carrots, tomato, and a head of lettuce. If you can get to the cucumbers, grab two.
Jack Maynard: Got it. On three?
Lilly, Jack: One, two, three.
[they rush into the garden, soon after the birds start attacking them]

 


 

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