Birthday Girl

Play trailer

Birthday Girl

R

2002

1h 33m

Comedy

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

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.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

12/22/2010

3/5

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

Go to Full Review

Matt Arnoldi

BBC.com

06/11/2002

4/5

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

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

Mark Halverson

Sacramento News & Review

08/07/2008

3/5

Read all reviews

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.

See more

Geke g

@RT40239519 08/05/2024

Very romantic and heartwarming

See more

Munkhchimeg T

@RT64187897 08/05/2024

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

See more

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.

See more

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

See more

steve d

@RT35616104 07/01/2020

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

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Jez Butterworth

Director

Nicole Kidman

Nadia

Ben Chaplin

John Buckingham

Vincent Cassel

Alexei

Mathieu Kassovitz

Yuri

Kate Evans

Clare

Alfie

48%

51%

Alfie

Watchlist

The Good Girl

82%

59%

The Good Girl

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Good Girl

Roger Dodger

88%

76%

Roger Dodger

Watchlist

Raising Victor Vargas

96%

83%

Raising Victor Vargas

Watchlist

Sideways

97%

79%

Sideways

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Sideways

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

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)

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings