Birthday Girl

Above average comedy/thriller in which lonely, thirty something bank clerk and social misfit, John (Ben Chaplin) decides to order a mail order Russian bride, Nadia (Kidman). The problem is, Nadia apparently can't speak a word of English and when her two 'cousins', Alexi (Cassel) and Yuri (Kassovitz) arrive on John's doorstep, things go from bad to worse. While decent British comedies are about as rare as a good John Travolta film, Birthday Girl succeeds where others have failed by mixing slapstick humour with a more satirical and sly style. The story doesn't bear up well to any real scrutiny, but the performances are good - Cassel's early moments in the film are particularly funny - and the whole affair trundles along at a nice pace. It's a tidy efficient excursion for all involved, but the waif-like plot ultimately means that it's hardly memorable.