The Starling is a 2021 American drama film directed by Theodore Melfi and written by Matt Harris . It stars Melissa McCarthy , Chris O'Dowd , Timothy Olyphant , Daveed Diggs , Skyler Gisondo , Ravi Kapoor , Laura Harrier , Rosalind Chao , Loretta Devine , and Kevin Kline . It premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2021, and had a limited release on September 17, 2021, prior to streaming on Netflix on September 24, 2021. It received unfavorable reviews from critics. Plot A married couple, the Maynards, suffer after the death of their baby daughter from SIDS . The husband, Jack ( Chris O’Dowd ), is in a residential mental hospital while his wife Lilly ( Melissa McCarthy ) remains at home, dealing with her own feelings alone. Lilly is trying to hold it together for Jack's return from the facility. Employed at a grocery store, she works to maintain her family's property. As if Lilly's troubles weren't bad enoug