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Product Description: An all-star cast including the late Chris Penn (RESERVOIR DOGS) brings director Finn Taylor's vision to the screen with a detective and an insurance claims investigator examining the potential winner of a Darwin Award (which is given to people who die in accidental and inadvertently amusing ways).Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: R UPC: 024543449966 Manufacturer No: 2244996Amazon.com: Loosely based on the book series of the same name, The Darwin Awards is a wry indie film that deals with the premise that some people will live long and prosperous lives, while the weaker will weed themselves out by committing unbelievably stupid acts (such as smashing into a high-rise window to prove it's shatterproof, or using dynamite as a means to make a small hole for ice fishing). The film stars Joseph Fiennes as Michael, a brilliant profiler for the San Francisco police department who has an unusual quirk: When he sees blood, he faints. This trait proves to be his undoing when he catches a serial killer who happens to have a bloody nose. As the newspaper headline screams the following day, "Officer Faints; Killer Runs Free." Kicked off the police force, Michael redefines himself as a risk management assessor for an insurance company. Paired with fellow investigator Siri (Winona Ryder), the two traipse across the country to determine whether their company should pay out premiums to the victims of unnecessarily idiotic acts, like the vacationing British couple whose understanding of a RV's "cruise control" has little to do with reality; or the two stoned Metallica fans literally dying to see the band in concert. Injecting just enough hinky characteristics into his role to make Michael truly weird, Fiennes is excellent in his role. And while Ryder is as lovely as ever, she is still too coltish to be completely believable as a foul-mouthed, seen-it-all, done-it-all ballbuster. Featuring appearances by David Arquette, Lukas Haas, Metallica, beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage (both from the Discovery Channel's MythBusters), and Chris Penn in his last role before his 2006 death, The Darwin Awards has its share of disjointed moments. And it's not the scratch-your-head antics that are unbelievable so much as some of the minor plot points, such as a film grad student (Wilmer Valderrama) having complete access to film Michael and his investigations (and the money to fly off wherever Michael and Siri do). Still, the film offers fine performances (especially by Arquette as a small-town man trying to impress his wife, played by Juliette Lewis) and an unusual premise. --Jae-Ha Kim
Customer Reviews:
- I liked this movie.: This is a good movie to watch, I reccommend renting it-or buying it. It's incredable to see the unbelievable ways people have died, doing some really stupid things. If you've never heard of the "Darwin Awards" before, google it. it's very interesting. I like this this movie, I give 2 thumbs up.
- Why do I like this movie?: Goofy. Tragic. But why am I laughing? Joseph Fiennes is a Sherlock/ genius in his own world that can't fit into ours. He can't handle the sight of blood, afraid of women, guilty over a botched police collar of a serial killer, and fastidious about safety. Winona Ryder is his foible picking Watson. Two depressed misfits on a journey trying to solve stupid and often fatal insurance claims.
If you like dark, quirky comedies, e.g., The Big Lebowski, or if you like road trip movies, you'll like this. The leads work wonderfully together. Both Ryder and Fiennes need more comedy and less drama in their lives, and they're good at it. The 'cases' are hilarious, but I really enjoyed the 'Odd Couple' leads duking it out as their personalities grate on each other in a tortured, sex-tensed, romantic sort of way.
The other story involving the search for a serial killer is put in there to promote the big climax, and the Peeping-Tom, worthless, documentary student is silly but provides humorous asides.
It's a night of escapism at other people's, who are not at our level of evolutionary development, expense. - Surprisingly funny: Although the pseudodocumentary angle seemed a little superfluous, overall I really enjoyed this movie. It was a lot funnier than I expected, with plenty of slapstick comedy, but most of it was anchored with more intelligent humor behind it. Which is a little ironic when you consider what The Darwin Awards are actually about. There's a cursory love story as well, which manages to feel kind of natural, not outrageously forced. Overall, I liked it.
- Funny movie for a good night home: The Darwin Awards is the best movie for a surprise funny feature to watch at home. Joseph Fiennes is in a whole new category here. He is a compulsive researcher for deaths that occur and why the deaths happen. It's' fun to see Winona Ryder again too!
The jokes are brash and sometimes very black but funny.
If you like features that are unfamiliar but have something to them. Darwin Awards is for you. Also if you ever had a dream to go fast, this is a must see.
- Amusing Stories Connected in the Wrong Way: As you know, the film's title "The Darwin Awards" refers to the "awards" that really exist, for the people who died in the most bizarre (and you may say, stupid) way. I believe some, or many of the reported cases on this website should actually belong to urban legend genre, but anyway, though some may find them offensive, to me these episodes are not only silly but also amusing often in a very dark way.
The problem of the film inspired by the actual Darwin Awards is this: How can we tell a story that is as amusing as these source materials? The film, "The Darwin Awards," tries hard to solve it by using two familiar narrative strategies: one is the road movie format where the film's hero and disgraced SFPD profiler Michael Burrows (Joseph Fiennes) travels across the country with a surly insurance investigator Siri (Winona Ryder). The other is the pseudo-documentary narrative, an interviewer who mostly stays behind the camera, following the two leads and occasionally interrupting them. Plus, the film has to tell us a sub-plot about a killer
However, despite the capable leads and funny cameos including late Chris Penn, the weak romance and underdeveloped characters (especially Ryder's) need more improvement. Fake documentary idea is simply unnecessary and even annoying. The latter idea does not make much sense after all as what most people want to see is "The Darwin Awards" and why some people are often driven to behave in a very ridiculous way.
While watching this, I thought there must be a terrific film buried deep under the confusing script. At least the film's "award" part and how these people "win" are amusing even though you have heard about them, but the film is a little disappointing, considering the cast and the source material.
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