Birthday Girl

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

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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
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.

Read all 13 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

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

  • 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

  • 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

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

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Trailers & Clips

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