Review of Birthday Girl (2001) by Lorenz R — 07 Feb 2013

Directed by playwright Jez Butterworth, who had got into cinema with Mojo (1997), here he got lucky and was able to attract a big name or two. It should have broke Butterworth into cinema big time, and he could have gone on to better things.

However, it's release was delayed, and the short buzz it had got during filming was all but forgotten by the time it came out. Shame, as it's a clever and very twisty along the way. In St. Albans, bank clerk John Buckingham (Ben Chaplin) is very shy and hopeless with relationships.

So, he goes on the internet, and orders a Russian mail-order bride, who arrives in the form of Nadia (Nicole Kidman), who despite the description, cannot speak a word of English. But, she and Ben soon bond, and it seems like this could actually work.

But then there's a knock at the door, and Nadia's "cousins" Yuri (Mathieu Kassovitz) and his friend Alexei (Vincent Cassel) arrive to celebrate Nadia's birthday. Ben is bemused by their arrival, and after a few days, asks them to leave, but it's only then he discovers their true intentions.

It's a good, gripping drama but it has some moments of hilarious black comedy thoughout, Butterworth gets the best from his cast, and it's a different sort of part for Kidman to play, but it has brilliant support from Alexander Armstrong, Stephen Mangan and The League of Gentlemen!!