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Craig Younkin
Movie Review
Birth
By Craig Younkin Published November 2, 2004
US Release: October 29, 2004
Directed by: Jonathan Glazer
Starring: Nicole Kidman , Cameron Bright , Danny Huston , Lauren Bacall
R
Running Time: 100 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $5,006,000
Directed by: Jonathan Glazer
Starring: Nicole Kidman , Cameron Bright , Danny Huston , Lauren Bacall
R
Running Time: 100 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $5,006,000
D
This movie is surprisingly devoid of any thought process.
Every once in a great while, something comes out that is so ridiculous that you almost expect it to blow you away with its originality and intelligence. This year we have had two films like that: ?Team America", which pulls this feat off perfectly; and "Birth", a film that is so confoundedly awful that it doesn't even take us long to understand why everybody in it looks like a brain dead zombie.
Nicole Kidman stars, unfortunately, as Anna, a young woman who has just lost her husband Sean to a heart attack. Sean was a scientist who believed more in test tubes and beakers than he does in spirituality, so reincarnation has never been anything he has put much stock into. But ten years later during a birthday party for Anna's mom (Lauren Bacall), a ten year old boy walks in claiming to be Sean. The family is puzzled by this Sean (Cameron Bright) and is sure that the boy must be disturbed. Only when they test him on the facts, he passes with flying colors, leaving Anna to believe that this little boy really is her dead husband. Her mother and fianc? (Danny Huston) are more reluctant to believe, and see this situation as dangerous.
Birth has such promise but turns into an incredible waste of time. This could have been an inter-worldly love story. This could have been a story that asks questions about Anna's faith and spirituality. It also could have led us to ask our own questions about reincarnation and life. Only instead of all that, this movie is surprisingly devoid of any thought process. It wonders whether Sean is actually Sean, and leads to such odd scenes as Anna asking this little boy "Do you know how to satisfy a woman?" and one where the two share a bath together. The whole thing feels like some kind of cosmic joke.
The ending is such an incoherent copout that it would take another movie just to make sense of it. And the tone is so joyless that even the bland relationship that is established between Sean and Anna has no chance of affecting us. Nicole Kidman looks devastated, probably because she chose to do this dull and stupid film in the first place. And Cameron Bright wanders around in the same creepy and psychotic daze he had in "Godsend" earlier this year. Can someone tell this kid to chill?
Birth was directed and written by Jonathan Glazer, who did 2001's Sexy Beast. That was a much better film, but then again, in comparison to this I feel like a Kate Hudson movie is better. Birth is an unbelievably poor excuse for a film.
Nicole Kidman stars, unfortunately, as Anna, a young woman who has just lost her husband Sean to a heart attack. Sean was a scientist who believed more in test tubes and beakers than he does in spirituality, so reincarnation has never been anything he has put much stock into. But ten years later during a birthday party for Anna's mom (Lauren Bacall), a ten year old boy walks in claiming to be Sean. The family is puzzled by this Sean (Cameron Bright) and is sure that the boy must be disturbed. Only when they test him on the facts, he passes with flying colors, leaving Anna to believe that this little boy really is her dead husband. Her mother and fianc? (Danny Huston) are more reluctant to believe, and see this situation as dangerous.
Birth has such promise but turns into an incredible waste of time. This could have been an inter-worldly love story. This could have been a story that asks questions about Anna's faith and spirituality. It also could have led us to ask our own questions about reincarnation and life. Only instead of all that, this movie is surprisingly devoid of any thought process. It wonders whether Sean is actually Sean, and leads to such odd scenes as Anna asking this little boy "Do you know how to satisfy a woman?" and one where the two share a bath together. The whole thing feels like some kind of cosmic joke.
The ending is such an incoherent copout that it would take another movie just to make sense of it. And the tone is so joyless that even the bland relationship that is established between Sean and Anna has no chance of affecting us. Nicole Kidman looks devastated, probably because she chose to do this dull and stupid film in the first place. And Cameron Bright wanders around in the same creepy and psychotic daze he had in "Godsend" earlier this year. Can someone tell this kid to chill?
Birth was directed and written by Jonathan Glazer, who did 2001's Sexy Beast. That was a much better film, but then again, in comparison to this I feel like a Kate Hudson movie is better. Birth is an unbelievably poor excuse for a film.
Craig's Grade: D
Craig's Overall Grading: 340 graded movies
| A | 10.9% | |
| B | 41.8% | |
| C | 31.8% | |
| D | 15.3% | |
| F | 0.3% |
