Birthday Girl

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Birthday Girl

R

2002

1h 33m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

59%

Tomatometer

120 Reviews

39%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

John (Ben Chaplin) is a mild-mannered banker who has never been lucky in love. Fed up with waiting for the right girl to come along, John takes a chance on a Russian mail-order bride arranged via the Internet. His Internet love connection is the enigmatic Nadia (Nicole Kidman). When Nadia's Russian cousins, Yuri and Alexei, turn up unexpectedly to celebrate her birthday, John's life is turned upside down as he learns the truth behind their relationship and is taken on an adventure.

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Critics Consensus

Kidman shows her range in this quirky movie, but the shift in tone from romantic comedy to thriller may leave viewers unsatisfied.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

12/22/2010

3/5

Uneven thriller isn't for kids. Kidman's great.

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Matt Arnoldi

BBC.com

06/11/2002

4/5

A deviant topical comedy which is funny from start to finish.

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Duane Byrge

The Hollywood Reporter

04/08/2002

'Butterfingered' is the word for the big-fisted direction of Jez Butterworth, who manages to blast even the smallest sensitivities from the romance with his clamorous approach.

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Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

01/31/2021

3/5

It's a bit of a mess, but is saved by Chaplin's sad sack portrayal of the love sick John.

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Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

08/25/2009

B-

There are enough well layered performances in director/co-writer Jez Butterworth's "Birthday Girl" to all but compensate for the film's inept noir flirtations between romantic farce and theft thriller.

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Mark Halverson

Sacramento News & Review

08/07/2008

3/5

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Bahad j

@RT27093708 08/06/2024

There is one thing about this movie that cannot be missed. I can see that it worked really well on the small details.

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Geke g

@RT40239519 08/05/2024

Very romantic and heartwarming

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Munkhchimeg T

@RT64187897 08/05/2024

Great drama. I wish every girl may find their true love

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Jelisije J

@jjosifovic 03/29/2024

A movie that starts off slow, but slowly picks up and then it falls flat with a rushed ending.

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02/01/2022

Talk about a birthday girl celebrating the wrong way Nicole Kidman and Ben Chaplin A single man John impulsively orders a bride online Nadia She seems graceful, elegant, and refined It also happens to be her birthday when they meet But when her family arrives she starts spilling secrets about her life that John isn't ready for Nadia's past makes things shaky for John so can he fully trust her or abandon the relationship altogether? Bad stuff John is dragged into involved guns money etc The movie feels a bit run of the mill plus the shift in tone makes it feel very uneven It's very messy story wise But Kidman has some decent range here and Chaplin plays a good lovesick guy

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steve d

@RT35616104 07/01/2020

The tone is all over the place. Not romantic and not at all thrilling.

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Jez Butterworth

Director

Nicole Kidman

Nadia

Ben Chaplin

John Buckingham

Vincent Cassel

Alexei

Mathieu Kassovitz

Yuri

Kate Evans

Clare

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48%

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Synopsis

John (Ben Chaplin) is a mild-mannered banker who has never been lucky in love. Fed up with waiting for the right girl to come along, John takes a chance on a Russian mail-order bride arranged via the Internet. His Internet love connection is the enigmatic Nadia (Nicole Kidman). When Nadia's Russian cousins, Yuri and Alexei, turn up unexpectedly to celebrate her birthday, John's life is turned upside down as he learns the truth behind their relationship and is taken on an adventure.

Director: Jez Butterworth
Producer: Steve Butterworth, Diana Phillips, Eric Abraham
Screenwriter: Jez Butterworth, Tom Butterworth
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: HAL Films, Mirage Enterprises
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 1, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 7, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.9M
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)