Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself

Critics Consensus

Despite its morbid subject matter, Wilbur is a charming and often funny film.

72%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 5,260

Super Reviewer

Movie Info

Danish filmmaker Lone Scherfig, the writer and director of the 12th Dogme 95 film, 2000's critically acclaimed Italian for Beginners, presents this comedy drama starring Jamie Sives and Adrian Rawlins as brothers Wilbur and Harbour. When their mother died early in their lives, it became up to Harbour to keep tabs on Wilbur, the younger and chronically depressed of the two siblings. Now in their thirties, their father has passed away, leaving them to take over the family's used book store. It is there that they encounter Alice (Shirley Henderson), a hospital janitor who sells the books that patients leave behind, and her young, optimistic daughter, Mary (Lisa McKinlay). Together, the four form a bond that changes each of their lives, with Harbour falling in love with Alice and Mary's sunny demeanor giving the suicidal Wilbur a reason to live. The first English-language effort from Scherfig, Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself was nominated for best film at Denmark's 2003 Bodil Awards.

Rating:

R (for language and some disturbing images)
Genre:

Comedy, Drama
Directed By:

Lone Scherfig
Written By:

Anders Thomas Jensen, Lone Scherfig
In Theaters:

Mar 12, 2004 limited
On Disc/Streaming:

Dec 28, 2004
Runtime:

106 minutes
Studio:

ThinkFilm Inc

Cast

Jamie Sives
as Wilbur

Adrian Rawlins
as Harbour

Shirley Henderson
as Alice

Lisa McKinlay
as Mary

Mads Mikkelsen
as Horst

Julia Davis
as Moira

Susan Vidler
as Sophie

Robert McIntosh
as Taylor

Roger McIntosh

Lorraine McIntosh
as Ruby

Gordon Brown
as Wayne

Mhairi Steenbock
as Claire

Andrew Townsley
as Doctor

Coral Preston
as Jenny

Colin McAllister
as Male Supervisor

Owen Gorman
as Porter

Anne Maire Timoney
as Night Nurse

Elaine M. Ellis
as Suicide Patient 2

Des Hamilton
as Butcher

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Critic Reviews for Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself

All Critics (79) | Top Critics (28) | DVD (4)

Pretty enjoyable.

May 21, 2004 | Rating: 3/5

Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
Top Critic
Scherfig shows a flair for comic melancholy ... as well as eccentric characters like Wilbur, who initially comes across as off-putting and self-obsessed, but later becomes, if not exactly warm, at least sympathetic.

May 14, 2004 | Rating: 3/4

Rene Rodriguez
Miami Herald
Top Critic
Wilbur has the ability to suck you in, to make you cheer on the strangest of indulgent families.

May 13, 2004 | Rating: B-

Bob Longino
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic
Unexpected plot twists keep us interested.

May 7, 2004 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Erik Lundegaard
Seattle Times
Top Critic
Worth seeing.

May 7, 2004 | Rating: B+

Tom Long
Detroit News
Top Critic
Though Scherfig is still partially enrolled in the Dogme school, her movie finds a happy balance with its equally adept eye for wide-screen composition and the raw complexity of real human emotion.

May 7, 2004 | Rating: 3/4

John Monaghan
Detroit Free Press
Top Critic
What's most intriguing about director Lone Scherfig's first post-Dogme 95 feature, the admittedly appealing Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself, is where and how it falls short.

Jul 25, 2017 | Full Review…

Lisa Rosman
The Brooklyn Rail
A nice little love triangle drama-comedy about suicide and bookstores.

Jun 21, 2007 | Rating: B- | Full Review…

Jason Gorber
Film Scouts
...the kind of picture one is more inclined to admire than embrace

Jan 29, 2005 | Rating: B

Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Lone Scherfig has masterfully combined rather dark, serious topics with a little humor and a lot of humanity.

Jan 24, 2005 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com
Scherfig presents the message with a creative flair that will appeal to indie film lovers who appreciate well drawn characters

Aug 29, 2004 | Rating: B- | Full Review…

John A. Nesbit
Old School Reviews
Feels schematic, contrived and less genuine.

Aug 6, 2004 | Rating: 2.5/4

Duane Dudek
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

View All Critic Reviews (79)

Audience Reviews for Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself

Dec 05, 2011

Well, this was definitely a surprise! Dark, yes. Comedy, not so much. Really fantastic writing, and the slow development of characters that aren't contrived or condescending. Even as tired as I was while watching this, I could not stop watching. I found this story mesmerizing....well done.

Cynthia S Super Reviewer
Aug 17, 2011

It looks fine and the acting is good but 'Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself' doesn't work. The movie is manipulative and drenched in tedious sentimentality. Worst of all it isn't funny.

Jonny B Super Reviewer
Nov 01, 2008

Mixed feelings on this one. On one hand, very original story and well cast (even Shirley Henderson is very good here. Not nearly as "screetchy" as normal - I am sure she puts that voice on!), also quite funny in a dark way thanks to Julia Davis (I can never take her seriously. I just see Jill from NIghty Night whenever I see her!). There was just something about the story itself that didn't sit quite right with me. It seemed horrible for Wilbur and Alice to be carrying on behind Harbour's back, and then the final scene seemed disrespectful to Harbour. I don't want to spell it all out and ruin it for those who have not seen this, but those who have will know what I mean. Perhaps I am missing the point, I am not sure...

Nicki M Super Reviewer
Jun 04, 2008

Danish dark-comedy travels to Scotland and becomes more dark and less funny but still very bizarre. Seeing Mads Mikkelsen probably had something to do with me remembering Anders Thomas Jensen movies while watching this, but even if I didn't know beforehand that it was Danish, I would have definetly guessed it was so, because of the weird characters. This is about two middle aged brothers, running a bookstore after their father passed. Harbour is the older and decent one, running the store while trying to prevent his brother Wilbur trying to kill himself. Their lifes change after a woman walks into the store and into their lifes. Interesting story, weird characters, very good score, decent directing, overall a good movie which is not for everyone.

Serdar C Super Reviewer