Starring the gorgeous Nicole Kidman as a Russian mail order bride named Nadia, "Birthday Girl" starts unassumingly enough - a man, John, played by Ben Chaplin, picks up Nadia from the airport, eager to start their new life together. But things go awry when John finds out that Nadia doesn't speak a word of English! Hijinks ensue, and for the first 15 to 20 minutes, "Birthday Girl" seems like it is going to be a romantic comedy. And then the BDSM comes into play.
Yes, "Birthday Girl" has a kinky twist that was unexpected, but not altogether unwelcome. There are some subtle, sexy scenes in here featuring mild bondage that the pervert in me quite enjoyed - there was nothing too crazy, but just enough to whet my appetite. At this point I could only assume that "Birthday Girl" was an earlier version of "50 Shades of Grey," and that the rest of the movie would be some type of kink themed romance. And then Vincent Cassel and Mathieu Kassovitz come into play.
Yes, if you didn't notice, "Birthday Girl" suffers from tonal inconsistency, especially considering that at the sight of Cassel and Kassovitz the film turns into a crime drama of sorts. The movie never fully commits to one thing or the other, which could've worked if the script was tighter. I was really enjoying all of the romance that this movie offered, because the chemistry between Kidman and Chaplin was sweet, and could've been further developed if given time to breathe. However, because the movie kept changing directions at the tip of a hat, I never found myself fully engaged, as just as I started to connect and enjoy a certain storyline, another one showed up and took over.
Kidman is the best part of the movie as Nadia - she's utterly beautiful, and has a lot of vulnerable moments, and a lot of moments where she's in complete control; in a better movie, the focus could've completely been on her relationship with Chaplin's character. And Chaplin is okay with what he has, but he doesn't really have much here. He plays a pretty one note type of character, even when he's inevitably pushed out of his comfort zone. Whether due to poor directing or writing, his character is the least interesting, which is a shame, as he's in the starring role.
"Birthday Girl" had a really interesting premise, and could've worked as a sensual thriller or romantic comedy. Instead, it seems like the movie doesn't know what it wants to be, leading to a muddled, over stuffed plot that overshadows the parts of this movie that genuinely work well.
Yes, "Birthday Girl" has a kinky twist that was unexpected, but not altogether unwelcome. There are some subtle, sexy scenes in here featuring mild bondage that the pervert in me quite enjoyed - there was nothing too crazy, but just enough to whet my appetite. At this point I could only assume that "Birthday Girl" was an earlier version of "50 Shades of Grey," and that the rest of the movie would be some type of kink themed romance. And then Vincent Cassel and Mathieu Kassovitz come into play.
Yes, if you didn't notice, "Birthday Girl" suffers from tonal inconsistency, especially considering that at the sight of Cassel and Kassovitz the film turns into a crime drama of sorts. The movie never fully commits to one thing or the other, which could've worked if the script was tighter. I was really enjoying all of the romance that this movie offered, because the chemistry between Kidman and Chaplin was sweet, and could've been further developed if given time to breathe. However, because the movie kept changing directions at the tip of a hat, I never found myself fully engaged, as just as I started to connect and enjoy a certain storyline, another one showed up and took over.
Kidman is the best part of the movie as Nadia - she's utterly beautiful, and has a lot of vulnerable moments, and a lot of moments where she's in complete control; in a better movie, the focus could've completely been on her relationship with Chaplin's character. And Chaplin is okay with what he has, but he doesn't really have much here. He plays a pretty one note type of character, even when he's inevitably pushed out of his comfort zone. Whether due to poor directing or writing, his character is the least interesting, which is a shame, as he's in the starring role.
"Birthday Girl" had a really interesting premise, and could've worked as a sensual thriller or romantic comedy. Instead, it seems like the movie doesn't know what it wants to be, leading to a muddled, over stuffed plot that overshadows the parts of this movie that genuinely work well.