Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself
by Lone Scherfig
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Adrian Rawlins, Jamie Sives, Lisa McKinlay, Mads Mikkelsen, Shirley HendersonDirector: Lone Scherfig
Brand: Hart Sharp Video
Writer: Lone Scherfig
Producer: Gillian Berrie
Producer: Ib Tardini
Producer: Karen Bentzon
Producer: Peter Aalbęk Jensen
Producer: Sara Harkins
Writer: Anders Thomas Jensen
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 109 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-04-01
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sundance Channel Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself
Movie Review: Real acting catapults "Wilbur" beyond life and death
Summary: 5 Stars
Not since last season's "Lars and the Real Girl" have I been charmed with such a delightfully odd,quirky and not overly sentimental piece of life in the 2004 Festival Hit "Wilbur (Wants to Kill Himself)."
What is deceiving about the film's trailer is that you are lead to believe that this is a comedy focused on Wilbur North (an adorable Jamie Sives- (To the Ends of the Earth) who does everything possible to do himself in. Not so! In fact, this film is way deeper and far more drama than it is a comedy. The story concerns itself with two brothers, Harbour and Wilbur North, both orphaned young, both caretakers of sick parents, and both now grown and not connected into anyone. Harbour is the older brother, and Adrian Rawlins (Harry Potter Years 1-5 Limited Edition Gift Set) portrays him with such grace and intuitiveness that rarely this actor gets the chance to do. Harbour is actually the glue of this entire film, running the family bookshop, watching after younger Wilbur, all the while fancying an odd Alice (Shirley Henderson-(Topsy-Turvy) who is a struggling single mother struggling to survive while working as a cleaning lady for the local hospital. The hospital is and will become the link between these three as this Scottish film slowly peals back like an onion. Wilbur is always at the hospital from suicide attempts; Alice is always there cleaning it; and Harbour was always there as the older son who watched his parents die there. When Harbour and Alice connect, Wilbur becomes a part of their existence and comes to live with them. The film then squarely focuses on these three with Alice's daughter as a fourth. But things change drastically when Harbour is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The film shifts into intense mode and all of the characters begin becoming completely three-dimensional. By the end of this film, I was totally involved in all of their lives! You can't help it! One of the best ensemble acting films yet! Anyone who is a devotee of UK films and T.V. will recognise all of the actors. This is a chance for them to show their mettle. Highly recommended!
An excellent companion film would be Dominick and Eugene.
Summary of Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself
WILBUR WANTS TO KILL HIMSELF - DVD MovieThat rare thing, decency, shines out of Wilbur (Wants to Kill Himself), a wonderful and dark-humored comedy about a would-be suicide. The depressive Wilbur (Jamie Sives) is the opposite of his big-hearted brother, Harbour (Adrian Rawlins), yet he remains irresistible to women--including Harbour's new live-in girlfriend. Director Lone Scherfig uses the gray-skied Edinburgh location in much the same way she did her native Denmark in the terrific Italian for Beginners; the gloomy setting belies the vaguely magical things that might happen to the characters. Scherfig knows just how to balance different tones (and in a comedy about a suicidal man, she has to), and she's great with actors, even in small roles. Special standouts here are the beaming Rawlins and Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen (King Arthur), as a stoical, chain-smoking doctor. How nice it is to see a movie that makes you feel good without coming on all icky about it. --Robert Horton
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