Valiant

Valiant has quietly become one of the more dependable comedies currently available in Australia on Stan, and in the US on Disney Plus. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. 997 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. Ewan McGregor sets the tone, and the rest of the cast matches it scene for scene. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Stan.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Valiant earns its spot. Valiant gets the fundamentals right first, then finds room to get weird with it. Set in 1944, Valiant is a woodland pigeon who wants to become a great hero someday. When he hears they are hiring recruits for the Royal Homing Pigeon Service, he immediately sets out for London. On the way, he meets a smelly but friendly pigeon named Bugsy, who joins him, mainly to get away from clients he cheated in a game of find-the pebble, and helps him sign up for the war. Ewan McGregor and Ricky Gervais lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2005. What keeps Valiant from feeling disposable is a cast that clearly understands the material better than the format usually demands. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Valiant is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Ewan McGregor is funny in a way that holds up on rewatch. Put it on when you need something guaranteed to land.