The Darwin Awards (2006)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Finn Taylor

Writer (WGA):

Finn Taylor (written by)

Release Date:

5 July 2006 (United Arab Emirates)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Romance

Plot:

A forensic detective (Fiennes) and an insurance claims investigator (Ryder) trek to investigate a potential Darwin Award winner. From www.darwinawards.com: "The Darwin Awards salute the improvement of the human genome by honoring those who accidentally kill themselves in really stupid ways." |

Plot Keywords:

Claims Investigator | Narration | Film Within A Film | Recreational Vehicle | Rooftop

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 6	1:30 PM	SHOW
Fri. July 10	5:45 PM	SHOW
Wed. July 15	12:00 PM	SHOW

Cast

David Arquette	...	Harvey
Ty Burrell	...	Emile
Josh Charles	...	Paramedic
Kevin Dunn	...	Insurance Exec
Nora Dunn	...	Mrs. Pearlman
Joseph Fiennes	...	Michael Burrows
Judah Friedlander	...	Simon
Lukas Haas	...	Farley
Tom Hollander	...	Henry
Brad Hunt	...	Stan
Juliette Lewis	...	Joleen
Julianna Margulies	...	Carla
Tim Blake Nelson	...	Perp
Alessandro Nivola	...	Ad Exec
Chris Penn	...	Tom

MPAA:

Rated R for language, violent images, some sexuality and drug use.

Runtime:

USA:94 min (DVD version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Malaysia:(Banned) | Finland:K-15 | South Korea:18 | Australia:M | Japan:PG-12 | New Zealand:M | Australia:MA (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Adelanto, California, USA

Company:

3 Ring Circus Films

Trivia:

The segment with the rocket powered car features "MythBusters" (2003) host Jamie Hyneman and 'Adam Savage (II)' as the surplus salesman. The first episode of 'MythBusters' dealt with that particular urban legend.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Harvey does the u-turn with the rocket on his car, the driver has changed from right side drive to left side as the scene changes camera angles.

Movie Connections:

References "Popeye the Sailor" (1960)

Soundtrack:

People Who Died

Didn't want to fast forward through ANY of this movie

Choose "The Darwin Awards" if you want a relaxing afternoon or evening watching a fun film with enough laughs to make you walk away satisfied. Looking at my IMDb ID, "fastforwardaddict," you would surmise correctly that I have no patience for lame or poorly constructed movies. I fastforward through everything that is subpar. If the writing and/or the acting are bad, the DVD goes right back into the Netflix or Blockbuster sleeve. Favorite movies of mine include those that are considered by such critics as Leonard Maltin to be four star rated. I say all this because when this came out in the theatres, I read newspaper and magazine reviews that made it seem like a dud. Seems rather fishy now, because I watched this with a male who is also very hard to please and we both liked it. At the end, he said, "You picked a winner this time." One criticism I read was that there was no chemistry between Joseph Fiennes and Winona Ryder. First of all, the movie was about Fiennes truly irritating the h... out of Ryder. Haven't you ever worked with someone who drove you nuts? Well, Fiennes couldn't have played this more perfectly. I've known characters like this and he is right on the money. I also knew a character just like the one he played in "Forever Mine" and he was right on the money there, too. His facial expressions are enough in so many instances, he doesn't even have to talk. His stiff body language was absolutely suited to the character he was playing. Ryder was excellent as his co-worker. Why do you think she survived her legal and public relations' problems? Because she is a very good actress. As for the chemistry between them, that is subjective; I sensed it.

Most of the Darwin situations, i.e., what the nutty victims did, were priceless, particularly the fellow who attached the missile to his car. The actors who played the husband and wife who were nearby made those characters very believable.

The comedic writing was good. The quips between Fiennes and Ryder were great! I hardly ever watch a movie twice, but I would watch this one again just to hear them go at each other, and to watch with even more of my friends and relatives to share the lighthearted fun. Sarcastic but cute give and take in a conversation is not easy to write, but the writers succeeded here.

Fiennes's range is wide: all the way from well-acted serious films such as "Luther" and particularly, "Leo," to this light and happy, very good-for-a-Saturday-afternoon provider of laughs.