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Birthday Girl (2001)

tomatometer

58

Average Rating: 5.7/10
Reviews Counted: 122
Fresh: 71 | Rotten: 51

Kidman shows her range in this quirky movie, but the shift in tone from romantic comedy to thriller may leave viewers unsatisfied.

55

Average Rating: 5.5/10
Critic Reviews: 31
Fresh: 17 | Rotten: 14

Kidman shows her range in this quirky movie, but the shift in tone from romantic comedy to thriller may leave viewers unsatisfied.

audience

39

liked it
Average Rating: 2.8/5
User Ratings: 21,468

My Rating

Movie Info

A man looking for love gets more than he bargained for when he chooses his prospective wife on the internet in this dark comedy. The manager of a bank in a small British community (Ben Chaplin) decides that he's in need of long-term companionship, and through an on-line marriage broker called From Russia With Love, he obtains a "mail order" bride (Nicole Kidman). While he's more than pleased that his new fiancée is so beautiful, she turns out to have a dangerous and mysterious side that he

R, 1 hr. 33 min.

Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy

Tom Butterworth, Jez Butterworth

Aug 13, 2002

$4.9M

Miramax Films

Cast

All Critics (146) | Top Critics (36) | Fresh (73) | Rotten (52) | DVD (19)

'Butterfingered' is the word for the big-fisted direction of Jez Butterworth, who manages to blast even the smallest sensitivities from the romance with his clamorous approach.

April 8, 2002 Comment
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A deceptively clever romantic comedy that is also part caper, part thriller and a perfect vehicle for both Ms. Kidman and her talented co-star, Ben Chaplin.

March 13, 2002 Comment
New York Observer
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As I watched the film struggle with all its switches and turnabouts, I wondered why it wasn't funnier, more charming or more exciting.

March 13, 2002 Comment
New York Observer
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It's all over the road -- sometimes farce, sometimes horror, sometimes thriller, sometimes police procedural. And the truth is, no one in it is particularly sympathetic.

February 16, 2002 Full Review Source: Washington Post | Comment
Washington Post
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It may not be particularly innovative, but the film's crisp, unaffected style and air of gentle longing make it unexpectedly rewarding.

February 5, 2002 Full Review Source: Village Voice | Comment
Village Voice
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Uneven thriller isn't for kids. Kidman's great.

December 22, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment
Common Sense Media

There are enough well layered performances in director/co-writer Jez Butterworth's "Birthday Girl" to all but compensate for the film's inept noir flirtations between romantic farce and theft thriller.

August 25, 2009 Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | Comment
ColeSmithey.com

Although "Birthday Girl" is labeled a romantic comedy, it's not wildly funny or romantic.

June 25, 2004 Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) | Comment

Nifty...

November 7, 2003 Comment
Greenwich Village Gazette

Simple but effective.

September 27, 2003 Full Review Source: Three Movie Buffs | Comment
Three Movie Buffs

O filme tenta ser comédia romântica, suspense erótico, thriller e assim por diante. A única que se salva é Kidman, belíssima como sempre e com um sotaque russo sedutor.

July 25, 2003 Comment
Cinema em Cena

Butterworth has an effective directorial shorthand and the film is full of small, unobtrusive touches that smartly enhance the scenes. Kidman, of course, is magnetic; her absorbing performance makes this Birthday party one worth attending.

July 18, 2003 Full Review Source: Entertainment Today | Comment
Entertainment Today

Chaplin's performance is the only present Birthday Girl offers.

June 10, 2003 Full Review | Comment
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Birthday Girl

uneven - uninteresting - unessential

April 26, 2007
brooklynspo

Super Reviewer

It's not a good movie but it was okay to watch. Ben Chaplin is good...Vincent Cassel is good. And Nicole Kidman's russian sound like an asian speaking russian. I wouldn't recomend it. But it's not bad or boring.

October 6, 2011
TheGame90
Martin Sahlin

Super Reviewer

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