The 2013 film “Free Birds” details the adventures of two talking turkeys, Reggie (Owen Wilson) and Jake (Woody Harrelson) who travel back in time to the year 1621, with the goal of stopping turkey from being served at the first Thanksgiving feast. Reggie and Jake meet a slew of turkey friends when they travel back in time. Reggie also develops a crush on Jenny (Amy Poehler), a charming turkey from 1621. The band of turkeys work together to defeat a group of colonists hunting them for the first Thanksgiving feast.
This movie was quite average. In the beginning, there was a satirical statement that cautioned viewers that the events portrayed in the movie weren’t entirely true. The statement ended with a punchline, however, telling the audience that the talking turkeys in the movie were accurate to the tale. This opening reminded me of “The Bee Movie,” because the opening scenes were almost identical.
Following the beginning statement of the movie, there was a section of narration that gave viewers some context about the main character and his backstory. This section of the movie also reminded me of another film, “Ratatouille," which begins in a similar manner, with a section that provides background information and is narrated by the main character.
While the scenes were comedic, they also felt cliche and repetitive. I found a lot of the jokes after the beginning scenes, though, to be funny. The plot, however, was fast paced, it was sort of predictable.
During the first half of the movie, Reggie discovered his love for pizza. Later, Jake came back to inform him that they were going to travel to 1621 to save the turkeys from being eaten on the first Thanksgiving. At that moment, I was able to predict that Reggie would bring pizza to the first Thanksgiving, in place of turkey. Additionally, the film felt repetitive because it was concentrated with fight scenes. Many of these fights felt reminiscent of each other and involved the same feud over and over: turkeys against colonists.
One thing that I did appreciate about the film was its pacing. The plot picked up very quickly. While the film’s premise was straightforward, I was still able to stay engaged with it. The sequence of events felt slightly predictable, but only significantly in the second half. Additionally, there were a few cutaways and joke scenes that kept my interest and also made me laugh.
This is a perfect film for children. The running time is 91 minutes, which is a reasonable length for young viewers, as it is not too short and also not too long. The jokes are very low-hanging and rudimentary, featuring mildly crude humor and plenty of butt jokes. This kind of comedic content is great for younger audiences, as the humor is more accessible and also quite popular among that age range. The end of the film features a happy ending, and a moral lesson: you shouldn’t give up on what you care about. While there are some very profound and emotional scenes scattered about, the film is still generally surface-level and suitable for all ages, but especially for younger audiences.
This film is also perfect for anyone who wants to get into the Thanksgiving spirit. With a lack of Thanksgiving movies and media within popular culture, this film encapsulates everything that can be expected of a Thanksgiving film, topped off with a happily-ever-after at the end. This would be a great film for family viewing, as it targets younger audiences, but is still interesting enough for adults. "Free Birds" is also ideal for families because its simplicity allows for a varying group of people to all connect with it.
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Lorelei Young, sophomore majoring in English language arts education, is from Columbiana, Alabama. She has been with The Auburn Plainsman since the fall of 2025.
