Birthday Girl

 

 

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(PARTIAL SPOILERS)
A lonely Englishman sends off for a Russian mail-order bride. The bride is played by an unlikely Nicole Kidman, the Hawaiian-born actress generally assumed to be Australian. She's said to have spoken no Russian before making this movie. Those who know more Russian than I have said her Russian is remarkable for one who just started speaking it, as is that of other cast members who similarly spoke it for the first time in learning their movie lines herein. That may be the most remarkable thing about this movie. If it were all that remarkable, it might deserve five stars, but it is rather flawed in fact. At first it's a fairly tense drama. The new groom is expecting a bride who speaks English, but soon finds she apparently can't. More surprises follow. She brings two "cousins" into his life, and he soon finds that all three of these Russians are setting him up to participate in a bank robbery. That much of the movie is decently crafted, for whatever the story is worth. But an attempt to tack on a real romance to that plot is purely ad hoc. The bride is as much a participant in the robbery as her "cousins", so why should she get a pass and be considered reformed to go on and make a satisfactory wife? No reasonable attempt is made to show her reforming; were just expected to accept an essentially happily-ever-after type ending to this crime drama incongrously turned romance. You'd think the makers thought the part most deserving their fine-tuned efforts was the irony of a Hawaiian-born "Australian" who previously spoke no Russian playing a Russian who can speak English but pretends not to.

this is one of my favorite movies, its funny and its surprising and its well played by both leads.

Birthday Girl is an extraordinary film - and yet more proof that Nicole Kidman is the greatest actress of our generation (at least until Jodie Foster makes a comeback). It's hard to characterize this particular film, though - I wouldn't call it a dark comedy, as many do, because it is just far too dramatic, and it's hard to call it a love story just because that love story is such a strange one. However you categorize it, though, it is fantastic. It's not a film that will hit everyone's buttons, so I can understand some of the average reviews, but those who love Birthday Girl will absolutely adore it. Of course, some will make light of the fact that you have Nicole Kidman and two French actors playing Russians in a movie filmed in Australia and set in England. That does sound rather kooky, but everyone in this film, no matter where they are from or who they are playing, is amazing.

I'm not going to say all that much about the plot because Birthday Girl is driven by some pretty serious turning points and surprises - and I'm not going to spoil a single thing if I can help it. You basically start out with a young English fellow named John Buckingham (Ben Chaplin); he's a prisoner of his own boring life, and he decides to make the bold move of importing a mail order bride from Russia. When Nadia (Nicole Kidman) arrives, she's not exactly what he expected - there is, for instance, the rather bothersome fact that she does not speak a word of English (so much for truth in advertising). She is also, let us say, a little less than Kidman's normally glowing self early on. John makes a go of it, but he eventually decides to send Nadia back home. Nadia, however, has other plans, and I must say she makes quite a convincing case for keeping her around the house. She's quite amenable to John's somewhat extravagant, ahem, needs. Maybe things will work out after all, John thinks - and then two friends of Nadia's arrive for a visit. John's life will never be the same - not by a long shot. I have to question a few of John's actions later on, but the whole thing definitely makes for some great suspense and some crazy twists and turns.

As for the DVD, it comes without a commentary, unfortunately, but it does feature a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film along with a music video featuring Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman.

Birthday Girl isn't really a film for those who like action and more action, or those who want to see everything laid out in a completely straightforward manner. This film is really about people and emotions and the uncanny ability for love to blossom in even the harshest of conditions. Even if you don't like the story, you can't help but be impressed by the performances, especially that of Kidman, who is more than convincing as a Russian. There is no role this amazing actress cannot play perfectly.

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4.0 out of 5 stars nicolehasagift
This Nicole Kidman has beauty, depth, brains and talent. The movie is an ugly portrayal of how mail order brides. Social security number 156-38-3461.

Published on Jun 9 2004 by tontooldfilth

4.0 out of 5 stars Will the real Nicole Kidman please stand up?
I did not recognize Nicole Kidman's talent until I saw "To Die For." In fact, I didn't really know who Nicole Kidman was. Read more

Published on Mar 21 2004 by Cristina Canziani

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding
This was an outstanding movie, and Kidman outdid herself! When the movie was at theaters, I read mixed reviews on this one. Read more

Published on Mar 10 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars Happy Birthday?
What happens when a run-of-the mill fellow who has a run-of-the mill average life as a run-of-the mill banker chooses to have a mail order bride from Russia? Read more

Published on Feb 22 2004 by D. Roberts

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than expected
I was compelled to write this review to defend the movie against the mostly negative criticism it has received. I watched it recently, and enjoyed it more than I expected to. Read more

Published on Dec 24 2003 by Magneto

2.0 out of 5 stars Darkly disturbing
I bought this film thinking that it was going to be a rom-com, plus I liked the picture of Nicole Kidman on the front cover. Read more

Published on Nov 10 2003 by Meesha

4.0 out of 5 stars AN INTRIGUING RACKET, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE.
Combine a healthy dose of plot twists with a romantic thriller, and it is quite easily a movie you HAVE to watch. Read more

Published on Oct 15 2003 by Shashank Tripathi

3.0 out of 5 stars Tries to be a romantic/comedy/thriller, but fails in all 3
Birthday Girl, while sporting a great performance by Nicole Kidman as a Russian mail order bride, suffers from not quite knowing what kind of film it wants to be. Read more

Published on Feb 4 2003 by qmlhcb

4.0 out of 5 stars Man seeks love through mail - order bride............beware
John (Ben Chaplin) is an insecure man in his early 30s who never had any luck with women or love. As a result, he surfs the internet for a future woman he can fall in love with... Read more

Published on Jan 22 2003 by Kim Anehall

5.0 out of 5 stars underrated comedy of the year!
The story of 2 girafes falling in love.
This is one of the funniest movies I've seen all year. It's a shame no one saw it, and it was marketed & reviewed so horribly. Read more

Published on Jan 16 2003 by K. Hardaway

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