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BIRTHDAY GIRL Send This Review to a Friend
Imagine Nicole Kidman as a Russian bride-to-be in an intended marriage to a shy man who makes contact with her through an agency via the internet. Kidman, an adventurous actress, slips into the Russian mode as Nadia with charm and entertaining ease. In fact, John (Ben Chaplin), the guy you'd think would be lucky, doesn't know what hit him. At first he can't stand her ways and wants to send her back. But Nadia discovers some of his kinky fantasies and she turns on the sex big time.
All is not what it seems, as we learn when two nasty Russians turn up (Vincent Cassel and Mathieu Kassovitz), supposedly Nadia's cousins. John soon learns he is merely the latest victim caught in a scam.
What follows isn't very believable, but it is entertaining, thanks in large part to the performances, particularly that of Kidman, who is great fun to watch in a role far removed from what we've seen her do before. The film, directed by Jez Butterworth from a screenplay he co-wrote with Tom Butterworth, turns into a crime thriller as both John and Nadia must sort out their altered lives. But first they must survive. A Miramax Films release.
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