Birthday Girl

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Ben Chaplin, Vincent Cassel, Matthieu Kassovitz
Directed by: Jez Butterworth
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Thriller
2002

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A lonely British bank employee (Ben Chaplin) sends away for a Russian mail-order bridge (Nicole Kidman). When she arrives, contrary to his expectations, she doesn't speak English. A short time later, two Russian friends (Matthieu Kassovitz, Vincent Cassel) arrive for a visit. Quickly, things change, and the situation becomes much more complex than expected.

Review:

Tim: Birthday Girl is one of those films that doesn't have many apparent, visible weaknesses. However, underneath the surface, everything is pretty rotten. The movie is a quiet little thriller, with some dramatic moments throughout. However, the film is simply not compelling in the least. I experienced no big emotions here. Nothing wowed me, nothing really surprised me. I watched the film in a state of half-interest. The film is completely forgettable. It feels like a film trying to be an Oscar contender, but without any real heart.

The story is interesting enough, if fairly hard-to-believe. I like the idea of a mail order bride not being what was expected, but from this initial strong start, the film takes a turn, becoming more and more ludicrous the longer it goes on. The movie doesn't really take many risks, the story is just weak and full of plot holes. There were so many times when the characters on screen choose to do nothing- or the exact opposite- of what common sense would dictate. This makes for a frustrating viewing experience when you question every move anyone makes.

This isn't to say that this movie is a trainwreck. There are some very good performances. Nicole Kidman is fairly decent as the Russian speaking bride. She certainly doesn't give an Academy Award worthy performance, but she pulls off the role slightly better than I expected. Ben Chaplin gives a good performance- it's just too bad he was saddled with a wet blanket character who is nearly impossible to like. He's not a bad guy, it is just hard to root for someone who seems to be so abundantly stupid throughout most of the film. Vincent Cassel gives a pretty menacing performance, and makes a nice impact on the film. There are certainly some good performances.

It is also nice to see a small, quiet movie without a whole lot of effects. This movie feels like what storytelling should be, even if the story it tells is fairly ineffective. I appreciated the effort, even though I was not overly pleased with the result.

Birthday Girl isn't an obnoxious or particularly bad film. The problem is that it is simply to lackluster. The movie plods along, never showing any real signs of ambition or heart. It felt like a movie without a soul, and no matter how good the performances are, you can't make up for a hole like that. I was mildly interested, and never really turned off. However, by the film's end, when I reflected back on the experience, I saw only a joyless 93 minutes, where I experienced none of the emotions that come from our best movies. This film isn't bad, it's just unable to make any kind of impact at all.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Birth, Lost Souls, The Hours, Dogville, The Human Stain