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26 out of 30 people found the following review useful: you'll be enriched, 7 August 2003 Author: Robert Mansfield from London
Omigod. I haven't seen a film that moved me as much as this for a long time. It tells the tale of two 30-something brothers who own a dilapidated second-hand bookshop in Glasgow, and their search for different things.The writing is effortless, but so natural and brilliant, the characters are beautifully crafted and it makes a refreshing change to see a film that is not about the location or the effects - but about the story and characters.As for the acting - not a bad word can be said about any of the actors. The three principals (henderson, sives and rawlings) are so utterly convincing and there is so much chemistry between them all. They are backed up by two brilliant turns from Julia Davis as Moira and Mads Mikkelsen as Horst.It may sound depressing from the title, and you may well shed a tear before the end of the movie, but I can guarantee that you will leave the cinema a wiser and more enriched person for having seen Wilbur...
17 out of 23 people found the following review useful: Original But Not A Black Comedy!, 3 January 2004 Author: blosmoker from Belfast, Northern Ireland
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Wilbur wants to kill himself is about a twenty something scotsman, whose main objective in life is to end it. Ironically, being extremely appealing to the opposite sex doesnt help much either.I went to see this film in my local cinema where it described the film as the 'blackest of black comedies'. It is understandable that that there are a few comical incidents regarding suicide, but to call it the 'blackest of black comedies' is an overstatement. I really enjoyed the film; the music was very fitting to the flow of it and the characters were very well developed. The setting also made it very enjoyable (the bookshop), possibly because one of my favourite characters (the kipling fanatic) only appeared in this location. The plot however i thought turned very sharply from one direction to another (wilburs suicidal tendencies to his relationship with his brothers wife, and then the end scene).Overall I thought the film had a very original idea and was very enjoyable, and i would definitely see it again. Just remember that if you decide to see it to keep an open mind.7 out of 10
13 out of 16 people found the following review useful: Actually, Wilbur Wants to Live, 6 April 2004 Author: Ralph Michael Stein (riglltesobxs@mailinator.com) from New York, N.Y.
[WARNING: Some spoilers ahead]Suicide is a serious subject and any attempt at showing it in a humorous light runs the risk of trivializing what amounts to a major public health problem. "Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself," set in gloomy Glasgow, a city with a collective depression syndrome to begin with, polarizes audiences into "It's great" and "It's awful" groupings. Director Lone Scherfig handles both the city and the characters with a light hand. Moods are created by settings that reflect the unfolding drama.Wilbur (Jamie Sives) and brother Harbour (Adrian Rawlins) inherited a small, dusty bookshop - shelves groaning with misplaced volumes - from their just deceased father. Wilbur has a record of self-destructive acts, some silly and others very dangerous. He's in a therapy group run by a German psychologist, Horst (Mads Mikkelseen), and a ditzy nurse who thinks husband hunting amongst the suicidal is a good option. Horst seems more enervated and down than his patients with whom he has a decidedly detached relationship.A nurse's aide, Alice (Shirley Anderson), supplements her inadequate income by bringing books she "finds" at the hospital to the brothers' book store for a few quid. A single mom, she and her pre-teen daughter, Mary (Lisa McKinlay) share a warm relationship. Chronic lateness brings the Scots equivalent of a pink slip and Alice ends up working at the bookstore after she quickly falls in love with Harbour. Their wedding takes places in a Chinese restaurant featuring an owner whose Highland brogue is thicker than congee.Alice agrees, indeeds almost insists, that Wilbur live with them in the cramped flat behind the store. His self-absorbed attempts at suicide continue until he seems to rebound by falling in love with his sister-in-law who returns the affection.Oh boy, a not atypical film menage a trois with the good guy husband unaware that he's in a roiling threesome. But there's a twist. A sudden collapse in a supermarket leads to a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer for Harbour spelling out a quick and deadly fate that he attempts to keep secret.Harbour's concealment of his illness is futile and wrong but his deepening relationship with Horst becomes the foundation for the psychologist's belated but imperative need to reconnect with the reasons that brought him into clinical therapy. And we also learn that grand Kentucky bourbon is available to Glaswegians.What follows is the relationship between four people with Mary, the child, taking on an increasingly important albeit quiet role. The store facing financial ruin, she offers her own money (apparently a trust fund from somewhere) to float the emporium.This is a serious film about complex relationships, told non-judgmentally (which may be what has bothered some who reviewed the movie on IMDb). An excellent cast turns in credible and moving performances. Alice isn't very pretty-she certainly isn't glamorous. But she has a sensuous love of life and a deep caring for her child., Harbour loves his brother and his new wife and his almost instant bonding with Mary is believable, the realization of a long, missing need. Mary is bright, curious and vulnerable. She's dependent on the adults and is shielded from their various dilemmas and delinquencies. And Wilbur really doesn't want to die-anyone intent on suicide succeeds. He wants a life with a rewarding love. Who doesn't?Set in Scotland, there are quite a few Scandanavians associated with the film. An alert reader of end titles will note that director Lars von Trier ("Breaking the Waves," "Dancer in the Dark" and, now, "Dogville") was a "script consultant," whatever that means. One problem: it's time that makers of films set in working class Scots cities bite the bullet and provide subtitles. :)9/10
9 out of 9 people found the following review useful: tender little movie, 16 November 2005 Author: damienmuldoon from Ireland
If you can get hold of this film it is well worth a look. Set in Scotland and telling the tale of a suicidal man whose life changes when he falls in love with single mother Shirley Henderson, it is both witty and sad in just the right measure. The love interest between the two leading characters is not straight forward and it is upon this dilemma that the film's plot revolves. Carefully directed, it never crosses the line into outright sentimentality although it does come dangerously close. Shirley Henderson is wonderful, as usual, but there are also strong performances from Jamie Sives and Adrian Rawlins. It is a low-key movie but a touching one that proves movies don't have to be violent, fast moving or steamy to entertain. Particularly suitable for lovers of kitchen sink romance.
8 out of 9 people found the following review useful: A very different love story, 1 June 2005 Author: shecrab from Kent, Ohio
Wilbur, who is seemingly unreasonably yet persistently suicidal, cannot live with himself. Harbour, his caring and gentle brother, can't live without Wilbur. The deaths of their parents has affected both brothers differently, making one unable to live normally, and the other unable to live without the abnormality of having someone to care for. Into this dysfunction comes Alice, a struggling single parent who has a sad sweetness that Harbour cannot resist. They woo, and marry, and as their happiness begins to infuse the lives of all four, a family begins to take shape, despite the resistance that each feels. It is from the quadrangle they form that Wilbur finally finds what is missing in his own life, and wants what his brother has so easily grasped: that love, in the forms and shapes around us, is all that will eventually make life worth living. So enlightened, he unwittingly grabs hold of his brother's love, and takes some for his own; Alice, though guilty, is not unwilling. She has fallen in love with both brothers, equally, but differently. Her daughter, somewhat underplayed, becomes a pivot around which the three focus their energies, trying desperately not to hurt each other anymore than will be absolutely necessary. A bit of deus ex machina takes over (or perhaps it is simply fate stepping in?) and Harbour must bow out due to incurable cancer of the pancreas. It's hard to watch both the despair, as well as hope, rising in both Wilbur's and Alice's eyes as they find out what the ultimate conclusion will be; and they struggle with both their guilt and their excitement. But Alice does not waiver in her love for Harbour, and even though they /can/ hurt him, neither she nor Wilbur is willing to go that far. What will become of Wilbur and Alice and the child? It is not obvious. It hurts to watch the transitions each makes in their thought processes at times, but would any of us have done any differently? Still, there is satisfaction in the ending and one is left with the aftertaste of something larger than oneself probably knowing more and better than we do. Though the story can be a bit contrived, it is worth watching. We aren't brought to tears by the poignancy, nor are we appalled by the actions of the characters; we are simply aware that they are human,and fallible. That's enough sometimes.
10 out of 13 people found the following review useful: A BIG 10! -quirky,lovely,just delightful, 16 September 2005 Author: film_ophile from boston mass. usa
i think sense of humor is just SUCH an individual thing. perhaps the more subtle the comedic approach, the more difficult to identify and align with. I myself found this film totally engaging, amusing and lovely. i did not know, at the time of viewing, that the director had made 3 or 4 other of my favorite films, On Our Own and Italian for Beginners being the most recent. The story itself is small but it's the screenplay and that quirky funny pervading sense of humor, that IS the film. two handsome, intelligent,gentle, interesting brothers have a deep love for each other. one is the older and responsible one, who runs the inherited family used book shop. the younger one makes a career out of trying to kill himself. a sweet sad woman- with- daughter comes into their lives and the shag rug becomes a tapestry. all the acting is spot-on. the TERRIFIC screenwriters (the director being one of the two)had me caring about all of the characters. the silences, as much as the dialogue, are perfectly carried off and i really didn't feel there was a false out-of-place moment in the entire film. i saw the film last night (thank heavens for good public-library film-buyers)and the characters are in my mind today.i've a delighted smile on my face. a big 10 for me.
13 out of 20 people found the following review useful: Suicide comedy, 20 November 2002 Author: Peter Elefant from Denmark
Synopsis:Wilbur (Jamie Sives) wants to die, kind of. So every now and then he tries to commit suicide. You know: Pills, wrist slitting, hanging that sort of thing.He has nothing that ties him to life, but a brother named Harbour.The brother (Adrian Rawlins) owns a book store, which was left to him by his father. He's a friendly, charming and responsible man, who's flirting with one of two regular costumers, a girl name Alice.Alice (Shirley Henderson) is a lonely woman, who works as cleaning personal in a hospital, in order to support her daughter Mary (Lisa McKinlay).Well. Girl meets book store owner, and they fall in love or whatever. So they get married. Meanwhile Wilbur continues his obsession with trying to end himself. The thing about Wilbur is, that he has sex-appeal which is quite... well... appealing. And don't think that Alice hasn't noticed.Which creates the dilemma, doesn't it? Do we want the older, responsible, nice, kind, calm brother, or his sexual beast of an opposite, Wilbur?--------------My reviewSet in beautiful, but depressing Scotland, Lone Scherfig (The director of Dogma 8: Italiensk for begyndere) has made a small film about love. The story itself is pretty average, but the way this film treats suicide, and the absurdity of wanting to finish life, makes it worth watching. The film is made with subtle humor, tenderness and love.Well acted this one is. I liked the characters. It is well filmed, also. Almost every scene takes place in the bed, in the bathroom, in the book store, or the hospital. All places, that cry out desperate decadence. You can actually sence death in the scenery, which is no coincidence. A major theme of this film is death and - as a direct consequence - life.What is not so good about this film is, that it is about virtually nothing. There is almost no development, and unlike films of who are kindred in pace (Virgin Suicides, The Ice Storm) the story is way too structured, and too narrow to just watch and experience. There is a point this film is trying to make, which is a shame. A bit less narrative could have done a film, which is about so little, very good.Still it is a good film. Very good. I am beginning to use 5 as average. 10 as perfect and 1 as complete rubbish. And giving that, I will give "Wilbur wants to die/Wilbur begår selvmord" 8. A lot of thought and care has gone into this little film, and it does show. From good cinematografy and a good script, to a well polished, melancholic score, this film is worth viewing. It won't kill you, even if you will.8 of 10.
9 out of 13 people found the following review useful: A well acted, beautiful, funny little charmer., 19 January 2005 Author: spfguysplace from los angeles, ca
This film played in a small art-house theater in Los Angeles for several weeks with little or no promotion. I'd never heard of it and wondered why it continued playing for so long. I did not go to see it then but remembered the odd title. I subsequently came across the DVD and purchased it out of curiosity. I was amply rewarded for my adventure. The film, a Danish-Scottish co-production, is a small treasure. It is funny and poignant. The acting is uniformly fine and the characters are well defined and developed. The score is excellent and is performed by the Philharmonic of London. I share the DVD with friends and family and recommend the film highly. It's a wonderful little film.
9 out of 14 people found the following review useful: Twisted, modern take on 'Harold and Maud', 11 September 2003 Author: sparkle-14 from London
Interesting film, but this viewer was far less impressed than the Scandinavian reviewers. Performances were great overall, though some deliveries of the clumsiest lines clunked (and Henderson's babydoll voice really irritates) Some great scenes, but the black comedy is uneven (lost in translation?)/ script patchy. All that bloody backstory for Wilbur-- was Harbour meant to be justifying the selfishness of his brother or.... what? Scherfig does a wonderful job in finding the humanity of difficult, odd characters (in 'Italian for beginners' too) Wish she'd cut the stuff that didn't work because it tries to hard to be odd. And more Mikkelsen please... what he evokes in the twitch of an eyebrow-- much more impressive than all that talk. Interesting but flawed... a director to watch, however.
5 out of 7 people found the following review useful: A celebration of life... and suicide, 20 December 2005 Author: Henry Fields (kikecam@teleline.es) from Spain
"Wilbur wants to kill himself" is a (so)moving parable about how easy is to let yourself die when everything seems meaningless and how hard is to live when a disease is mining you. Wilbur looks like a nice guy, the kind of man women like, he's good-looking, he has a brother who loves him... it doesn't seem like his existence is that miserable. Nevertheless he wants to leave this world, that's one of men's last rights so he'll try to kill himself in any possible way. On the contrary, his brother Harbour is full of life, he's an enthusiastic person, he's in love and he's just get married... how ironic, he has an incurable cancer, but that won't stop him from clinging to life till the last consequences. Scherfig has moved away from the stupid DOGMA corset, and creates a perfect balance between the smile and the crying, tenderness and misanthropy, between life and death. She reduces the roughness of the hardest moments with a sarcastic turn or relying on the darkest sense of humor (that's always the best antidote against tragedy). Step by step she shows Wilbur the right way (and to all of us). No moral judgments, no dogmatism... there's no need to. Wilbur is a celebration of life, but is also a show of respect for those who don't wanna live anymore. Eventually it is a celebration of the best cinema: the one that makes you feel better. *My rate: 8.5/10
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