Birthday Girl (2001)

58% of critics liked it
(122 reviews)
39% of users liked it
(21,678 ratings)

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… More 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 wasn't counting on, and things become quite complicated when two of her cousins (Vincent Cassel and Mathieu Kassovitz) arrive from Russia and move into his tiny house in St. Albans. Though set in England, Birthday Girl was actually shot in Australia, which allowed leading lady Nicole Kidman to stay in touch with her then- husband, Tom Cruise, who was shooting Mission: Impossible II in Australia at the same time. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 33 min.
Directed By: Jez Butterworth
Written By: Tom Butterworth, Jez Butterworth
Genres: Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy

In Theaters: Feb 1, 2002 Wide
On DVD: Aug 13, 2002
Studio: Miramax Films

Critic Reviews

Duane Byrge, Hollywood Reporter
'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.
Rex Reed, New York Observer
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.
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
As I watched the film struggle with all its switches and turnabouts, I wondered why it wasn't funnier, more charming or more exciting.
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post
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.
Mark Holcomb, Village Voice
It may not be particularly innovative, but the film's crisp, unaffected style and air of gentle longing make it unexpectedly rewarding.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Uneven thriller isn't for kids. Kidman's great.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
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.
Judith Egerton, Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
Although "Birthday Girl" is labeled a romantic comedy, it's not wildly funny or romantic.
Eric Lurio, Greenwich Village Gazette
Nifty...
Scott Nash, Three Movie Buffs
Simple but effective.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
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.
Brent Simon, Entertainment Today
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.
Jeffrey Westhoff, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
Chaplin's performance is the only present Birthday Girl offers.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bob S

uneven - uninteresting - unessential
Martin S

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.
Cynthia S

A fun, off beat sleeper of a movie. Nicole Kidman is good in this one, and Ben Chaplin does his usual great job. It was not what I was expecting, and I was actually surprised that I liked it as much as I did (especially since there are many people that gave it 1 or 2 stars..??). Good… More
A fun, off beat sleeper of a movie. Nicole Kidman is good in this one, and Ben Chaplin does his usual great job. It was not what I was expecting, and I was actually surprised that I liked it as much as I did (especially since there are many people that gave it 1 or 2 stars..??). Good for laughs, and has that darker side to keep it interesting! Good Movie, in my opinion, and I am NOT a Nicole Kidman fan for the most part.
Jim H

For the first forty-five minutes of this film, I liked it better when it was called <i>Derailed</i>. At least that had Clive Owen in it. The second forty-five minutes did little to further develop the characters, and there weren't any compelling suspense/action… More
For the first forty-five minutes of this film, I liked it better when it was called <i>Derailed</i>. At least that had Clive Owen in it. The second forty-five minutes did little to further develop the characters, and there weren't any compelling suspense/action sequence that adequately held my attention. Throughout, the film had a few chuckle-worthy moments that made me wonder whether the filmmakers wanted to make a thriller or a comedy. Either way, it failed to engage, and I think it would've benefited from a decision to move the story in one of those directions.
Lady D

Obviously a low budget British film, that wouldn?t usually attract the likes of Vincent Cassel and Nicole Kidman. Slow moving and very dry humoured, ?Birthday Girl? is probably not quite the film you?d expect it to turn out to be. Bizarrely, there were claims that Cassel learned… More
Obviously a low budget British film, that wouldn?t usually attract the likes of Vincent Cassel and Nicole Kidman. Slow moving and very dry humoured, ?Birthday Girl? is probably not quite the film you?d expect it to turn out to be. Bizarrely, there were claims that Cassel learned Russian for the film ?Extreme Measures? but it would appear that Cassel was already familiar to some of the language before hand. Watchable, not brilliant.
Dean !

A quirky English film a mix of black comedy and drama. It has a few funny moments, a bit more action and twists towards the end. Nicole kidman sheds hers clothes again as a Russian mail order bride who doesn't speak English. However all is not as it appears. Far from a classic… More
A quirky English film a mix of black comedy and drama. It has a few funny moments, a bit more action and twists towards the end. Nicole kidman sheds hers clothes again as a Russian mail order bride who doesn't speak English. However all is not as it appears. Far from a classic but it's ok to pass the time and will raise a few smiles.
Red L

What to say about this movie. A plus - it stars Nicole Kidman with very few clothes. It is pretty strange - an Australian playing a Russian who speaks English, but pretends not to. A negative - I don't think it is one of Nicole's best movies. A nerdy guy orders a Russian… More
What to say about this movie. A plus - it stars Nicole Kidman with very few clothes. It is pretty strange - an Australian playing a Russian who speaks English, but pretends not to. A negative - I don't think it is one of Nicole's best movies. A nerdy guy orders a Russian non-Engllish-speaking mail order bride. He finds out she is not quite what he was expecting.
Wahida K

Horrible.
Film C

it wasnt bad, and had a great twist at the end really so it is worth a watch
Nani V

I thought this film was sort of romantic in a dysfunctional way...It was a different role for Nicole Kidman, I wasn't used to seeing her with dark hair and a little messed up. It's about this loney guy who works a lot and decides to order a Russian bride, which happens… More
I thought this film was sort of romantic in a dysfunctional way...It was a different role for Nicole Kidman, I wasn't used to seeing her with dark hair and a little messed up. It's about this loney guy who works a lot and decides to order a Russian bride, which happens to be Nicole Kidman...and it all starts with her.
vieras e

I liked it, but I wouldn't go as far as calling it a comedy. Thriller, sure. Drama, definitely.
Curtis L

Poopy in a half shell. Poopy power!
Ross C

Ben Chaplin (Matt from "Game On") orders a Russian wife from the internet and gets more than he bargained for in this enjoyable thriller.
Dean M

Smart, little thriller and funny love story between Nicole Kidman and her co-star Ben Chaplin.
Joseph E

This is sick!
Doctor S

Well, they tried to make a dark comedy thriller here but the ingredients don't blend properly and takes a left turn too many. Chaplin is a little too naive, but Kidman's delicious Russian accent helps.
Sunil J

A bit out there but still well done.
Marcus W

A twisted romantic thriller type thing. And it's extremely British too. This is also probably the first time I've enjoyed watching Nicole Kidman. The story keeps chucking up surprises, it doesn't hang around and its only slip is when it tries to be funny by chucking in… More
A twisted romantic thriller type thing. And it's extremely British too. This is also probably the first time I've enjoyed watching Nicole Kidman. The story keeps chucking up surprises, it doesn't hang around and its only slip is when it tries to be funny by chucking in a who's who of English TV comedians. Great to see Matthieu Kassovitz doing decent work too before Hollywood starting chucking rubbish scripts at him to direct. Worth seeing.
Robert F

Not bad, but not unforgettable either. Kudos to Nicole Kidman for her fine acting, and particularly for mastering Russian for her role. The tone shifted unexpectedly throughout the film - it was hard to tell the difference between what was thriller and what was black comedy/romantic… More
Not bad, but not unforgettable either. Kudos to Nicole Kidman for her fine acting, and particularly for mastering Russian for her role. The tone shifted unexpectedly throughout the film - it was hard to tell the difference between what was thriller and what was black comedy/romantic comedy. Short, simple, and compact little story though, which was a nice change.
Erin C

There were some funny parts, and the plot is definitely surprising. It was an ok movie overall.