Rating: 
Summary: A huge disappointment
Review: Geeky Brit, John (Ben Chapin), sends for a Russian mail order bride via the net and ends up with the sexy Nadia (Nicole Kidman) whose English vocab consists only of the word "Yes". (Sounds like the perfect woman to me. Just kidding). John believes he has finally found his soulmate, but things soon go awry when Nadia's cousins make a surprise visit on her birthday, leading to a turn of events which transform BIRTHDAY GIRL from a clumsy and unfunny comedy to a clumsy and not terribly thrilling thriller.
BIRTHDAY GIRL is yet another movie in which Kidman's talents are wasted. Her appealing performance is the sole redeeming feature of this slop. And as if that isn't bad enough the tape I viewed ends with the Robbie Williams video "Something Stupid" (No!!!).
Rating: 
Summary: Quirky, Black Comedy Stars Kidman
Review: This movie didn't seem to spend much time in the theatres, but is enjoying a second life on DVD. From seeing the TV advertisements, I expected more of a thriller but was pleasantly surprised. "Birthday Girl" is a very funny, quirky, black comedy that has converted me to a believer in Nicole Kidman's acting abilities. Not only is she sexy and dramatic, but she can be very funny. I was surprised at how well she was able to speak Russian; her Russian accent while speaking English was also very believable.The DVD includes a very interesting, although rather short, documentary on the making of the movie. I was interested to find out that the actors portraying Nadia's (Kidman's) cousin and his friend were in fact French, not Russian. Neither was a native speaker of Russian, although they did a fine job at speaking the language in the movie. Also included is a music video of the Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman duet on "Somthin' Stupid". However, a director's commentary is sadly missing (it's inclusion would have rated this a 5-star rating). Also, it would have been nice to have the movie's trailer included (I always like to watch the trailer before right before watching the movie).
Rating:
Summary: Man seeks love through mail - order bride............beware
Review: 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 and he eventually finds Nadja (Nicole Kidman), a Russian mail-order bride. On the way home from the airport he figures out that she does not speak any English at all, which leads him to attempt to get rid of her. However, she seduces him and tries her best at being a 'good' house wife and eventually he falls for her and buys her a Russian-English dictionary. One day she announces that it is her birthday and a her cousin arrives unexpectedly with a friend. Uncomfortably he tries to get to know them, but it does not work out as he expects. Birthday Girl is a humorous love story with a surprising element of deception that will keep the audience engaged with the film.
Rating: 
Summary: underrated comedy of the year!
Review: 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. The trailers really were selling it as some sort of sexy, edgy, thriller. When it's really a different kind of comedy. More Romancing the Stone than Fatal Attraction. Nicole Kidman does a great Russian accent and speaks it too, and Ben Chaplin is the greatest sap next to John Cusack or Hugh Grant. The movie's hilarious. He digs at her: "don't give me that 'it's so hard in Russia in winter, that we have to eat each other...it's so cold that we have to go to England & shag people to keep warm". She digs at him: "what did you way, 'when I grow up what I want is to still be in this town, in this job that I hate, in a house with ants & a big bag of pornography, and then I'm going to send off to Russia for a wife and she will fall in love with me".
I started laughing and didn't stop. Yes, there are dramatic moments, and there's some suspense...but that just heightens the humor. It's not like an in-your-face screwball comedy, it's just that the situations that the characters manage to get into are simply HILARIUOS! 2002 was a bang up year for Nicole Kidman with Moulin Rouge, The Others, and this underrated gem...it just prooves what a diverse actress she really is. So everyone go out and see this movie.
The DVD is pretty great too. There's a making of featurette, and a really cool video (Somethin Stupid) with Nicole and Robbie Williams that was #1 in the UK.
Rating: 
Summary: If Nicole Is a Femme Fatale Mail-Ordered from Russia...
Review: Suppose you are living in St. Albans, peaceful suburb of England where nothing is likely happen, and working for a small office in a bank, leading a routine life, just Ben Chaplin does in "Birthday Girl." Then, you get tired of your uneventful life, with no prospect of promotion or finding a new love around you. Ben Chaplin's character John, inspite of his better judgment, orders a Russian bride on the Internet. Her name is Nadia, who arrives at airport as beautiful Nicole Kidman (perfectly in character). Of course, John is delighted to meet her, but despite what was written on the site, Nadia cannot speak English at all. Not only that, but she starts chainsmoking in his car. But anyway, John falls in love with Nadia, who is as sexy as Satine in Paris, but later on arrive a pair of uninvited guests from Russia (Vincent Cassel, "Crimson River"; and Matthieu Kassovitz, "Amelie") : these guys are, they claim, the old aquaintances of Nadia, who is not unhappy to meet them again. And with the arrival of those two unwelcome people, John's happy life changes into a nightmare, full of dangers and suspense. Some sources may categorize "Birthday Girl" as thriller, but the fact is the film is more like a farce surrounding the character of John and Nadia. It has a romantic side, which is sometimes very touching, but the film itself should be called a downbeat, understated romantic comedy. There are some potentially violent elements, but director knows how to handle them with care, not letting them hinder us from appreciating the best part of the film: femme fatale image of Nicole Kidman. As you may imagine, "Birthday Girl" is Nicole Kidman's film. Her performance as Russian girl Nadia is alone worth watching; however, which means, when she isn't on the screen, the film gets weaker even though the efforts of three good male actors. The story is often sluggish and predictable, but as long as you love the character of Nicole (or are a great fan of her), "Birthaday Girl" will be immensely interesting.
Rating:
Summary: off beat, understated drama
Review: Roughly one part crime drama to two parts offbeat love story, "Birthday Girl" is a nifty little British film that gives Nicole Kidman a chance to strut her stuff as an actress. Here she gets to play a Russian "mail order bride" (though, of course, in the modern world she is actually ordered off the internet) who's come to England to start a new life with John, a mild-mannered banker unsuccessful in the ways of love. John is one of those bland, utterly undistinguished "good guys" who everyone seems to like but no one seems to notice. Even his boss at the bank gives him one of those noncommittal job evaluations (saying what a swell guy he is and what a great way he has with people) used to fob people off when they are not good enough to merit a raise or a more prestigious position in the corporation. Forced to go the unconventional route in finding himself a wife, John hooks up with the lovely but inscrutable Nadia, a Russian woman who, John is appalled to learn, does not understand a word of English. Then just as John and Nadia seem to be forming a close relationship (literally bonding over bondage), complications arise when two of Nadia's bizarre "friends" from Russia suddenly arrive on the scene. To reveal more of the plot would be unfair to both the viewer and the makers of this film, since much of the movie's intrigue arises from the frequent turnabouts in the plot itself. Although there is always the threat of violence hammering at the film's edges, writers Tom and Jez Butterworth (the latter serving as the film's director as well), manage to keep the film fairly havoc free while they focus on the developing relationship between the two main characters. Kidman, who speaks nary a word of English in the first half of the film (and only with a heavy accent thereafter), does a beautiful job conveying both the toughness and the vulnerability inherent in this woman. Though innately compassionate, Nadia has had to learn how to survive in a brutal world - even if that means having to exploit naïve, good-natured shmucks like John. As John, Ben Chaplin conveys just the right mixture of shyness, befuddlement and ultimate self-assuredness to make us root for the character. Because of his Everyman characteristics, we want to see John triumph in the end. "Birthday Girl" doesn't try to push the envelope by indulging in elaborate action scenes or patently theatrical heroics. Its events seem to unravel in a spontaneous, naturalistic manner, which helps the film to remain relatively true to life most of the time. It tells an unusual story, one filled with wry humor, understated suspense and a compassionate recognition of human frailty. Well written and well acted, "Birthday Girl" is an unheralded film that deserves to be seen.
Rating:
Summary: something difference
Review: this movie was low budget and u can tell from watching it but the plot is original enuf to work and the characters are believable. Nicole Kidman is sleazy looking and speaks russians for most of the movie, then vola, she speaks english. the suspense is there to the end and its enjoyable but i would not want to see it again. its kinda slow in the beginning so make sure u have something to munch on.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting idea but the movie is flat
Review: I will not summarize and analyze the plot since many people have done it ahead of me. Instead, I'll just make a VERY important point about what makes this film LAME: Many reviewers here have said how wonderful Nicole Kidman's accent is. Well, as a Russian, I can tell you that nothing can be further from the truth. Russian pronunciation is one of the most difficult to master and I've met people who'd studied Russian for decades and still spoke with a heavy accent. So, I shouldn't expect it from Nicole Kidman to learn in a couple of months. And this pretty much is what makes the movie very unbelievable since Nicole Kidman doesn't appear Russian at all, not only in her speech but also in her manner. Just like the language, they are also difficult to acquire for a foreigner. The movie's idea is very intriguing and succeeds until the middle of the film when it simply becomes laughable. The only highlight of the film are the performances by the two French actors who played gangsters, as they made very believable Russian gangsters. Their accent, although not perfect, was on a much higher level than Kidman's.
Rating:
Summary: Great!!
Review: Very enjoyable movie. Nicole is absolutely hot, and once again, Ben Chaplin has given a stellar performance.
Rating:
Summary: Mail order dysfunction
Review: The only reason to watch BIRTHDAY GIRL is to gaze upon Nicole Kidman, if indeed that pushes your joy buzzer. Otherwise ... Ben Chaplin is John Buckingham, drearily employed as a bank teller in a nondescript London suburb. John is good looking enough, but hasn't the charm or machismo necessary to attract a woman into a relationship. Loneliness drives him onto the Web, and the audience watches him scan the video clips at "From Russia With Love", a lonely heart site that offers mail-order brides. Without further ado, our hero is meeting Nadia (Kidman) at the airport. John understood that Nadia spoke English, but she doesn't. So, after installing Nadia in the guest room, he tries vainly to reach the organization responsible for the awkward situation. In the meantime, Nadia discovers John's stash of bondage porn and decides to take control of things, so to speak. Soon, with the help of John's silk ties and Nadia's knitting needles, both are in love. Then, on Nadia's birthday, two of her "cousins", Alexei and Yuri, show up to drink vodka and sack out in the living room. When John eventually demands that they leave, things take a decidedly nasty turn. The fact that I think Nicole is a Babe is a given, and the black eye liner her Nadia persona uses adds trashy allure. I like that, and it compels me to lavish two stars on an otherwise dysfunctional film. It's as if the creators had two teams of scriptwriters, the first bailing out after opening with an interesting premise, and the second taking over without a clue as to how to finish the story. Even then, the plot might have been salvageable had John even approached being an appealing character. But he wasn't; he spends too much time staring blankly off into space as if contemplating the first twinges of gas distension. To say there was any chemistry between him and Nadia would be ludicrous overstatement. Meanwhile, the two louts, Alexei and Yuri, add absolutely nothing of value to the production. And did anybody at the studio bother to think through the contrived and ridiculous ending? Obviously not. BIRTHDAY GIRL fails being either comedy or drama. But it was a disappointment.
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