'Birds of Prey' - Harley Quinn's Joyful Post-Breakup Story

Harley Quinn has just gotten out of a long-term and toxic, literally and figuratively, relationship with The Joker, which she calls Mr. J, and all I can think of is this would be a hit for some Filipino viewers who are very much into breakup movies. But breakup movie, it's slightly not. It's not a Harley Quinn origin film either. Rather, it's the inception of the DC popular gang 'Birds of Prey'--a group of women with a plethora of personalities that do crime and semi-heroic deeds together.

Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

Still, Birds of Prey is very much a Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) movie. For the first time since they introduced this crazy colorful villain in films, she's feeling vulnerable and on the run from the Gotham authorities, including tough police detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), and crime lord Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor). She narrates her post-breakup story and how she's connected with all the different characters from the film, 'Birds of Prey' member and not.

Harley Quinn's story is told in bits and pieces of fun flashbacks which perfectly fits her persona. It's also filled with self-deprecating humor that quite opposes the approach they took for Suicide Squad. It's never about the emotional toll from her breakup but with Margot Robbie's high-caliber acting, there's always room for empathy. The flashbacks also give more time in introducing the lead villainesses without veering away from the current narrative of Quinn. We learn about Huntress's (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) tragic backstory which explains her cold introverted reluctance to social interplay. We also learn about Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), the woman with the killer cry who works for Roman Sionis as its club singer. Finally, we learn about the young and kleptomaniac Cassandra "Cass" Cain (Ella Jay Basco) who nicked a priceless gem and becomes the center of attention for real trouble including Roman. Her crime becomes instrumental as to why the group of Birds meet each other.

All of these characters have compelling arcs. Everybody's a scene-stealer in Birds of Prey. But the film sparkles brighter when Harley Quinn is on screen. They gave Margot Robbie a lot of material to be funny and crazy, and her commitment to her difficult character is an enjoyable sight--from her obsession with a certain Gotham bacon & egg sandwich, to getting distracted by a fancy purse while running away from the police, to unleashing confetti and glitters in the police department, and to owning a hyena and finding it cute. It could easily be a well-rounded film but Margot Robbie owns it like no other.

At a certain point, the craziness of it all becomes a little more serious in its third act with the action stunts becoming more intense and stakes getting higher. It includes Harley Quinn in a roller derby match on an elevated track, racing swiftly through Gotham (imagine Tonya Harding but more intense, but that's probably difficult to do) and a great scene with all the Birds fighting together inside an old carnival ride, which again perfectly fits the lead villain.

Birds of Prey's most impressive feat though is not through its performances or narrative or its stunts, it's its ability to become appealing even with less skin exposure for the actresses. It didn't rely on sex appeal. Instead, its charm relies from the characters' quirky personalities and humor. Unhappy maniacs be damned.