Rating: Summary: Great Movie! Review: This was one of the best movies that I have seen in a long time. This movie had it all, romance,humor, suspense . The scenery was also nice. Most of all The Birthday Girl was unique and entertaining.
Rating: Summary: nicolehasagift Review: 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.
Rating: Summary: How to know if you might like this movie. Review: I read many of the reviews on this page both before and after watching this movie. I am astounded at how picky people are. I see Amazon as a place to buy things, and reviews help you decide if you should buy them. So here is my quick way for you to figure out if you should buy this.
There are three reasons you might like this movie:
1) All the humor in this film is british humor, its mostly in the dialogue. I found it very funny, but if you do not find dry british wit to be funny then you may not enjoy this movie. And these moments are highlights of the film, it isn't constant witty repartee.
2) This is a romantic comedy with a dark edge. It is somewhat dramatic but you never have fear for any of the characters. There isn't much suspense. The characters fall in love. It is funny (if you like the humor as noted above). If you are looking for a drama then you will find this movie to be somewhat flat.
3) There is a decidedly dark edge to the film. Not only is there a large degree of deceit but also because it is portrayed that kidman and cassel enjoy some S&M, which is plausibly related to Cassel's overly repressed character. Trust me, you don't get to see anything, but if you are a total prude you will be unhappy that it was even brought up.
The bottom line is that if the three above concepts sound ok to you, and you want to see a casual movie which is more unique than most of the McDonalds fare that studios put out, then there is a plausible chance you will enjoy this film as I did.
Do not expect a masterpiece. Its a mildly implausible story that is reasonably well told, but its not a masterpiece.
The reason this movie was not more successful is because the "powder puff romcom lovers" probably wouldn't like the dark edge, and the drama lovers don't find enough drama, and it really doesn't have enough humor to be a britcom. This movie bridges several genres, which makes it a good story in my opinion. Bipolar people may have a hard time switching gears during different parts of the movie.
Rating: Summary: I was confused Review: This movie was very confusing. I kept wondering what happened to all of the others that Nicole and her friends robbed; did they kill them? And why did they drag Ben Chaplin with them after he'd done what they wanted? If these people had done murder, then the ending was totally inappropriate. I'd have liked to have seen Ben getting revenge. I was disappointed.
Rating: Summary: Kidman is so likable in this movie, but this movie is not Review: Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line, Murder 8y Numbers) plays John, who is this nerdy, bank clerk who sends out for a wife and gets a luscious and absolutely to die for Nadia, played by Nicole Kidman (The Hours, To Die For), whos Russian accent is great. Things start to spring happen for the lovely couple when her birthday hits and her cousin and friend arrive to celebrate but it all turns on Chaplin when the cousin and friend happen to be impostors and so is Kidman. The 3 have a history of doing this. Chaplin robs his bank, is out of job and doesnt know what to think, but in the end, his feelings for Kidman succumb to him. Nicely captured performances by Chaplin and Kidman but this leaves you with wanting a different premise. Vincet Cassel (Brother Hood Of The Wolf, Elizabeth) also stars as Kidman's angry and jelous boyfriend. Also too much subtitles.
Rating: Summary: nicolehasagift Review: 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.
Rating: Summary: Will the real Nicole Kidman please stand up? Review: 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. But I thought she was wonderful as the butter-wouldn't-melt-in-her-mouth wife who plots to kill her young husband so that she can become the next Jane Pauley. The thing is, she was so very credible in that role, so very natural. You would not expect her to be any different in any other role. However, in "Birthday Girl," she plays a Russian bride come to England to marry a bank clerk-looser type. I won't give away the story line, but she looks Russian, speaks Russian, and gives a very sincere and striking performance. Ben Chaplin is very good as well. But this is really Kidman's film, which is well worth watching.
Rating: Summary: Outstanding Review: 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? What happens when she ends up looking like Nicole Kidman? What happens if she IS Nicole Kidman?Well, therein lies the premise of the plot. However, it does get a bit more interesting than just that. Our poor naive banker is about to have his life disrupted in ways he'd never thought possible, and we have the obnoxious pleasure of watching everything come unraveled. Much of the plot is fairly predictable. It is unfortunate that the banker is the only one who is entirely clueless about what's going on. Along the way there are some great laughs that center around the most unlikely of what would be considered "humorous" material. So, next time you have a birthday & have a yearning for a quasi-erotic thriller that also happens to be quite funny, give this yarn a try. After all, birthdays only come round once a year!
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