Birthday Girl
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Movie Reviews of Birthday Girl
Movie Review: Misinformation a go-go!
Summary: 4 Stars
Considering when filming for this began (1998), Nicole Kidman's star quality is already extremely obvious. Whilst her accent may not be spot on it certainly does enough to convince viewers of her nationality for the 90 minute duration of the film. I have no qualms with the acting or storyline, all are solid in my opinion. However, what does lower my appreciation of the film is the portrayal of the City of St. Albans. As a resident, I can safely say that St. Albans is a city, not a suburb or 'small town' as billed. Neither is it attached to London in any way but in fact is in a separate county (think 'state' on a smaller scale). The fact remains that the St. Albans scenes were only shot on location for a few months, when production moved to Australia where Kidman could stay with her family during a time of personal crisis. Therefore the St. Albans scenery is decidedly unrealistic and lacklustre. Despite what this film suggests, St. Albans is a city with a rich and colourful history spanning over 2000 years and home of the first Christian martyr in Britain.However, if you are looking for an entertaining film and really don't care about the factual details (and lets face it, movies are supposed to be escapism), then watch this. It's really quite a darling film.
Movie Review: Quirky, Black Comedy Stars Kidman
Summary: 4 Stars
This movie didn't seem to spend much time in the theatres, but is enjoying a second life on DVD. From seeing the TV advertisements, I expected more of a thriller but was pleasantly surprised. "Birthday Girl" is a very funny, quirky, black comedy that has converted me to a believer in Nicole Kidman's acting abilities. Not only is she sexy and dramatic, but she can be very funny. I was surprised at how well she was able to speak Russian; her Russian accent while speaking English was also very believable.The DVD includes a very interesting, although rather short, documentary on the making of the movie. I was interested to find out that the actors portraying Nadia's (Kidman's) cousin and his friend were in fact French, not Russian. Neither was a native speaker of Russian, although they did a fine job at speaking the language in the movie. Also included is a music video of the Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman duet on "Somthin' Stupid". However, a director's commentary is sadly missing (it's inclusion would have rated this a 5-star rating). Also, it would have been nice to have the movie's trailer included (I always like to watch the trailer before right before watching the movie).
Movie Review: different... very different
Summary: 4 Stars
Birthday Girl is a film I highly recommend for anyone who loves weird and unpredictable storytelling. Just because the film falls under the category of a love story, that's not necessarily what this film is about. Far from it, in fact.
A British man orders a woman from Russia to be his girlfriend, but as soon as she arrives, a WHOLE bunch of weird things unfold.
The woman can't speak a lick of english so the British man has to teach her how to speak, she makes love to the guy apparently against his will, we find out later that the woman has been pregnant for a long time, and eventually two Russian men come over to visit claiming to be her cousin. It turns out... well, I won't spoil just who these two gentlemen really are. Let's just say, they're the focus of the story.
Some moments of the storyline made me laugh, other parts built suspense leading to moments of light violence, so this film is most certainly NOT a love story. It's hard to explain just what it is.
Anyway, a pretty good film just for the fact I've never seen anything like it.
Movie Review: Surprise!
Summary: 4 Stars
A quirky change-of-pace role for Nicole Kidman as a Russian web-order bride who travels to England to marry a staid banker (Ben Chaplin); it isn't long before her host realizes that she's neither what he bargained for, nor whom she appears to be. The two stars are charming and create some intense chemistry ... but they're eventually let down by the script which can't decide whether it wants to evolve into a black comedy, a thriller, or a romance, and ends up becoming an unsatisfying mishmash of all three genres. Still worth watching, if only for Kidman's performance. (And yes, that is indeed she singing "Something Stupid" during the closing credits in a duet with Robbie Williams.)
The DVD is packed with extras, including the campy music video of "Something Stupid" (Kidman appears with her hair style from "The Others"); a "Making of ..." featurette; and a slew of coming attractions trailers, including "The Others", "Gangs of New York", "In the Bedroom", and more. Recommended for fans of the multi-talented Ms. Kidman and the handsome Mr. Chaplin.
Movie Review: AN INTRIGUING RACKET, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE.
Summary: 4 Stars
Combine a healthy dose of plot twists with a romantic thriller, and it is quite easily a movie you HAVE to watch. A UK man gets himself a mail-order bride from Moscow, and the woman does not speak any English. On her birthday after a few days she has surprise friends over, a couple of Russians. Well, without divulging any more, things go berserk from this moment on and what follows are the travails of the couple.
The movie has its share of lighter moments as well as nail-biting cliffhanger ones. Nicole Kidman is stunning and has a Russian accent down pat. Ben Chaplin is convincing in his role but bobs a squint too many. The narrative is relaxed, characters take time to develop, so it is conceivable why this wasn't an action-packed crowd puller. But I was quite contentedly absored in how everything unfurled.
The movie gets a thumbs-up from me, interesting theme with several thoughtful messages wrapped in what could so nearly have been a chick-flick had it not been for the clever twists. Recommended!