why bother with the bird storyline?

The bird represented the baby Kelly lost. If she could care for this helpless little bird then she would be able to again get pregnant and be a good mother. After a woman loses a baby (be it her fault or no one's) they need something to replace it in their life. The fact that she let her husband care for it made it more so what she wanted, something to share with him. She couldn't care for herself just for herself, she didn't feel good enough about herself, she needed something that fulfilled her, in the past it was her husband, but her drinking alienated him, he'd try, but then he'd remember the bad times and he'd pull back again. Realizing that it would always be this way, Kelly just ended the Merry-Go-Round.

Because the bird is symbolic of the baby she lost and her inability to care for the bird directly reflects the fact that, while she may desperately want a child, she cannot care for one. In the end, where the bird went was not important, it was important that her husband had to take it from her... Not really that hard to figure out.

IMO, I thought that the constant partner swapping sex scences brought the quality of the movie down, not the attempt to use the bird for symbolism.

[deleted]

there was an alternate ending that was written in the script but never filmed in which the mental illness angle was played up. In that ending, kelly flips out on stage and pulls an ozzy osbourne, and bites the head off the bird while on stage.

I think the bird helped show that Kelly was a caring person, cause she could be alittle rough, alot of her character was presented as selfish and cold, and I think they needed to show that she could be sweet and loving, that she was just going through a rough time, the same thing with her doing a song with that little boy from the make a wish foundation. Just another way to establish that her character had a sweet side.

That ham-handed bird issue is a painful waste of the audience's time and effort. First, it's a plot angle that had no resolution; second, it's a horrible cliche (bird = baby!); third, it completely distracts the audience from critical points of the storyline.

Movie-goers are not stupid. They know enough to pay attention to plot devices and to gather information from scenes and dialogue. So why was so much screen time wasted on this? The screenwriter and the director both deserve hearty kicks in the pants for this clanker.

At one point, James says he's going to leave the bird with someone who can take care of it. I assumed he did just that and left it in Austin(?).

weve turned every stone and for all our inventions in matters of love loss weve no recourse at all

Kelly took care of the bird when she was in rehab.(It was showing her gentle side and her need to show herself she can be responsible) When James came to take her out of rehab early, he took the bird away from Kelly and says something that insinuates her ability or lack of to care for the bird because of what happened to their baby. Later James gives the bird back to her in hope of creating a bond to help her state of fragility. When Kelly leaves the bird in the bar this is further proof to James of Kelly's inability to have a child and properly care for it and also more ammunition for him to use against her. Every time Kelly starts getting balance or her hopes up James brings her back to reality with a reminder of her past. An example is when he dances with her when she visits Travis and walks away. It is just one more thing that shows the interaction between James and Kelly. James' unwillingness to forgive her and Kelly's need for his forgiveness and love.