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The Darwin Awards (2006)
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Reviews Counted:12
Fresh:3
Rotten:9
Average Rating:4.9/10
Theatrical Release:Nov 30, 1999 Limited
Synopsis: The Darwin Awards are a real-life phenomenon presented to individuals who improve the human gene pool by removing themselves from it when they accidentally kill themselves in incredibly stupid... The Darwin Awards are a real-life phenomenon presented to individuals who improve the human gene pool by removing themselves from it when they accidentally kill themselves in incredibly stupid ways. Writer/director Finn Taylor develops this irony with a deliciously dark comedy that revels in the notion that truth is stranger than fiction...and a hell of a lot funnier. The stories in The Darwin Awards are integrated into a narrative about two characters grappling with their own destinies. Burrows is a brilliant detective with a special talent for profiling criminals. Siri is a hard-nosed insurance investigator whose steeliness and "throw-caution-to-the-wind" attitude is exactly the opposite of Burrows's thoughtful hesitation. When Siri's employer hires Burrows to create a profile for potential Darwin Award winners--who are costing the insurance company a fortune--the two begin a search for the answer to what makes these people tick. Taylor returns to Sundance (Dream with the Fishes, Cherish) with an epic comedy that boasts a dream team of acting talent. Joseph Fiennes exudes an intelligence that is the perfect foil to the absurdity happening around Burrows, while Winona Ryder displays a brazen strength and maturity that is a revelation as Siri. Combining these performances with numerous tasty cameos, Taylor weaves humor, romance, and adventure into a highly entertaining film. --© Trevor Groth, Sundance Film Festival [More]
Starring: Joseph Fiennes, Winona Ryder, Chris Penn, David Arquette
Starring: Joseph Fiennes, Winona Ryder, Chris Penn, David Arquette, Max Perlich, Tim Blake Nelson
Director: Finn Taylor
Director: Finn Taylor
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Reviews for The Darwin Awards
A delightful, winning tribute to those annual kudos given to people who died from sheer stupidity, thereby improving the gene pool.
If writer/director Finn Taylor could have made up his mind about the movie he was making, it would have held together better.
Writer/ director Finn Taylor's problem is that he wrote a painfully weak script, mostly wasting both acting talent and funny stories in the process.
Will probably deserve a Darwin Award itself after dying quietly at the box office and thus strengthening the art of filmmaking in general.
While the film has some funky flaws, it’s a terrific satire and is downright hilarious.
Taylor and his friends seem to be having a great time but could have let the audience in on the joke.
It's not the diversion from source material that bothers me; it's the way in which the diversions are bland, listless, annoyingly familiar, and patently unengaging.
Sports too many formulaic weaknesses of mainstream laffers while straining for an indie cred that hitherto came naturally to writer-director Finn Taylor.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 49% 49% | Taking Woodstock |
| 26% 26% | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard |
| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
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