Birthday Girl
 |
Our DVD Price: £13.99
RRP: £15.99 Save £2.00 (12%)
Availability
This product should be despatched within 4 days.
This product will be dispatched from Guernsey.
Delivery times
Earn 65 Bonus Points when you buy this product. More info
|
Film Description
At a London airport, shy bank clerk John (Ben Chaplin) waits for his mail order bride to be delivered from Russia. When she finally appears (in the form of a bedraggled Nicole Kidman) she's not exactly what he had in mind. And soon two Russian mobsters (Vincent Cassel and Matthieu Kassovitz) arrive to add to his troubles.
Film Information
DVD Extras
Enhanced for WideScreen TV; Bonus footage; Trailers; Behind the scenes; Interviews (Cast and Crew); Commentary (Jez Butterworth (director); Ben Chaplin); Bonus tracks ('Somethin' Stupid' - Nicole Kidman & Robbie Williams); Bonus footage; Trailers; Behind the scenes; Interviews (Cast and Crew); Commentary (Jez Butterworth (Director); Ben Chaplin); Bonus tracks ('Somethin' Stupid' featuring Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman)
Technical Details
| Certificate |
15 |
|
Length |
93 mins
|
|
Label |
4DVD |
| Cat No |
F4DVD90043 |
|
Format |
DVD |
|
Colour |
| Region | 2 |
|
Aspect |
1:2.35 CinemaScope |
| Subtitles |
Subtitles for hard of hearing (English).
|
Share your thoughts and opinions - write a review
Review by Ezekiel Lee
on 4th May 2006
Sometimes we all want to watch a film which isn't too heavy and yet isn't one of those "American Pie"-type time-fillers either. I love to watch films that make you think but I really hate senseless slapstick teen flicks which seem to dominate the cinemas these days. I would highly recommend Birthday Girl for this purpose.
Ben Chaplin is unassuming bank clerk John who lives a rather mundane, loveless life and finally decides to get himself a Russian mail order bride one fine day. The gorgeous Nadia (Nicole Kidman) arrives only for him to discover that she doesn't speak any English. Whilst waiting for the agency to get back to him on the matter, things turn out quite alright as they both struggle to communicate with each other in a clumsily romantic way. Nadia is extremely obedient and docile and we see how hard she tries to make John happy, especially as she indulges him in his sexual fantasies. John is very pleased with her and begins to fall for her quiet charm. Just as the plot looks like it's heading to fairytale proportions, enter Nadia's two friends Yuri and Alexei (played by Mathieu Kassovitz and the omnipresent Vincent Cassell) to unsettle the mood. Something is definitely amiss and we begin to suspect that Nadia is not all as she seems.
Well that's basically the plot without any spoilers. I would describe this neat little film as a romantic thriller with generous touches of wry humour (watch out for the giraffe jokes!) and appropriate imagery. Chaplin is ever convincing as the inhibited John and it's easy to sympathise with his character. Kidman's role is humanised in a realistic way without being overly sentimental. There is a beautifully strange chemistry between them and I should think the audience get coaxed into wanting their relationship to work.
While the story is not entirely unpredictable, it is the charming way by which it's told that makes this a very worthwhile watch. The pace of the film is exactly right and never for one moment does it bore or seem rushed either.
This is a movie which doesn't take itself too seriously, with no real profound messages to impart. The value lies in its fluid, unpretentious story-telling and adorably lazy texture. My chief complaint about this movie would be its slightly overly-sweet closing but I take nothing away from a generally well-made film. Without its star-studded cast, this could've easily been dismissed as a B-grade effort but I would say that this movie could've been a sleeper hit on DVD if only more publicity was given to it.
View more reviews by Ezekiel Lee
Browse all Film Reviews
Recommendations from fellow customers
 Animal Farm (Animated) (1955)
by Halas & Batchelor
 Around The World In Eighty Days
by Michael Anderson
 A Man For All Seasons
by Fred Zinnemann
 Smileys People
by Simon Langton
 Black Book
by Paul Verhoeven
More films starring Nicole Kidman
Eyes Wide Shut by Stanley Kubrick Bangkok Hilton by Ken Cameron The Portrait Of A Lady by Jane Campion Dead Calm by Phillip Noyce Moulin Rouge (Luhrmann, 2001) by Baz Luhrmann
View more >
More films starring Vincent Cassel
La Haine by Mathieu Kassovitz L Appartement by Gilles Mimouni The Crimson Rivers by Mathieu Kassovitz Brotherhood Of The Wolf by Christopher Gans Read My Lips (aka Sur Mes Levres) by Jacques Audiard
View more >
More films starring Ben Chaplin
Game On - The Complete First Series by Chromophobia by Martha Fiennes
View more >
|
