Rare Birds (2001)
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58% of critics liked it
(12 reviews) -
62% of users liked it
(1,281 ratings)
Iceland-born Canadian filmmaker Sturla Gunnarsson spins this offbeat comedy about fine food and feathered friends. The owner of a failing gourmet eatery in a small Newfoundland town, Dave Purcell (William Hurt) is about to throw in the towel. As he raids his wine cellar and nurses his sorrows, his… More Iceland-born Canadian filmmaker Sturla Gunnarsson spins this offbeat comedy about fine food and feathered friends. The owner of a failing gourmet eatery in a small Newfoundland town, Dave Purcell (William Hurt) is about to throw in the towel. As he raids his wine cellar and nurses his sorrows, his wacky friend Alphonse Murphy (Andy Jones) hatches a scheme to save the restaurant. They announce a faked sighting of a rare bird in the restaurant's vicinity, and soon bird watchers and even celebrities are pouring into the establishment. Dave's restaurant is so busy, in fact, that he hires Alphonse's shapely sister-in-law, Alice (Molly Parker), and in less time than it takes to burn a soufflé, romantic sparks are flying between the two. Unfortunately, Alphonse's schemes aren't limited to ornithological fraud. He has some hackneyed plan involving a submarine and a pile of cocaine that could bring down all that Dave has built. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Rating, Runtime
- R, 1 hr. 44 min.
- Directed By
- Sturla Gunnarsson
- Written By
- Edward Riche
- Genres
- Drama, Art House & International, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Sep 9, 2001 Wide
- On DVD
- May 28, 2002
- Studio
- Lions Gate Films
Critic Reviews
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Whimsical and touching.
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Allison Benedikt, Chicago Tribune
Rendered bland and frustrating by its endless attempts to make the odd odder.
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Ty Burr, Boston Globe
The movie keeps coming back to the achingly unfunny Phonce and his several silly subplots.
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Peter Howell, Toronto Star
With Rare Birds, as with The Shipping News before it, an attempt is made to transplant a Hollywood star into Newfoundland's wild soil -- and The Rock once again resists the intrusion.
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Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
Even if you don't know a wren from a grackle, there are pleasures here.
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