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Birthday Girl

R Released Feb 1, 2002 1h 33m Comedy Drama List
59% Tomatometer 122 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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Birthday Girl

Birthday Girl

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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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Critics Reviews

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Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly Rated: B- Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Nell Minow Common Sense Media Uneven thriller isn't for kids. Kidman's great. Rated: 3/5 Dec 22, 2010 Full Review Empire Magazine Rated: 3/5 Dec 30, 2006 Full Review Richard Crouse Richard Crouse It's a bit of a mess, but is saved by Chaplin's sad sack portrayal of the love sick John. Rated: 3/5 Jan 31, 2021 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com 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. Rated: B- Aug 25, 2009 Full Review Mark Halverson Sacramento News & Review Rated: 3/5 Aug 7, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Bahad j There is one thing about this movie that cannot be missed. I can see that it worked really well on the small details. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/06/24 Full Review Geke g Very romantic and heartwarming Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/06/24 Full Review Munkhchimeg T Great drama. I wish every girl may find their true love Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/05/24 Full Review Jelisije J A movie that starts off slow, but slowly picks up and then it falls flat with a rushed ending. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/29/24 Full Review Audience Member 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 Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Scam within a scam with a payback twist. Not bad sort of comic caper movie. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Birthday Girl

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Cast & Crew

Alfie 48% 51% Alfie The Good Girl 82% 59% The Good Girl Roger Dodger 88% 76% Roger Dodger Raising Victor Vargas 96% 83% Raising Victor Vargas Sideways 97% 79% Sideways TRAILER for Sideways Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

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
Screenwriter
Jez Butterworth, Tom Butterworth
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Mirage Enterprises, HAL Films
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)
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