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Movies / On DVD / The Darwin Awards
The Darwin Awards

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The Darwin Awards (2006)

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Reviews Counted:12

Fresh:3

Rotten:9

Average Rating:4.9/10

Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: The Darwin Awards are a real-life phenomenon presented to individuals who improve the human gene pool by removing themselves from it when they accidentally kill themselves in incredibly stupid... The Darwin Awards are a real-life phenomenon presented to individuals who improve the human gene pool by removing themselves from it when they accidentally kill themselves in incredibly stupid ways. Writer/director Finn Taylor develops this irony with a deliciously dark comedy that revels in the notion that truth is stranger than fiction...and a hell of a lot funnier. The stories in The Darwin Awards are integrated into a narrative about two characters grappling with their own destinies. Burrows is a brilliant detective with a special talent for profiling criminals. Siri is a hard-nosed insurance investigator whose steeliness and "throw-caution-to-the-wind" attitude is exactly the opposite of Burrows's thoughtful hesitation. When Siri's employer hires Burrows to create a profile for potential Darwin Award winners--who are costing the insurance company a fortune--the two begin a search for the answer to what makes these people tick. Taylor returns to Sundance (Dream with the Fishes, Cherish) with an epic comedy that boasts a dream team of acting talent. Joseph Fiennes exudes an intelligence that is the perfect foil to the absurdity happening around Burrows, while Winona Ryder displays a brazen strength and maturity that is a revelation as Siri. Combining these performances with numerous tasty cameos, Taylor weaves humor, romance, and adventure into a highly entertaining film. --© Trevor Groth, Sundance Film Festival [More]

Starring: Joseph Fiennes, Winona Ryder, Chris Penn, David Arquette

Starring: Joseph Fiennes, Winona Ryder, Chris Penn, David Arquette, Max Perlich, Tim Blake Nelson

Director: Finn Taylor

Director: Finn Taylor

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Reviews for The Darwin Awards

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1 - 12 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
10/20/07
Reel.com

A delightful, winning tribute to those annual kudos given to people who died from sheer stupidity, thereby improving the gene pool.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
09/13/07
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

If writer/director Finn Taylor could have made up his mind about the movie he was making, it would have held together better.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
09/09/07
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

The humor dissipates as we watch one weird death after another.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
09/07/07
Ruthe Stein
Ruthe Stein
San Francisco Chronicle

Just a voyeuristic excuse to watch people die in different ways.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
08/27/07
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
NewsBlaze

Writer/ director Finn Taylor's problem is that he wrote a painfully weak script, mostly wasting both acting talent and funny stories in the process.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
08/09/07
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

tries so very hard but just doesn't manage to be very funny

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
08/06/07
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

Will probably deserve a Darwin Award itself after dying quietly at the box office and thus strengthening the art of filmmaking in general.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
02/27/06
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

While the film has some funky flaws, it’s a terrific satire and is downright hilarious.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
02/07/06
Don R. Lewis
Don R. Lewis
Film Threat

Taylor and his friends seem to be having a great time but could have let the audience in on the joke.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
01/31/06
James Greenberg
James Greenberg
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's not the diversion from source material that bothers me; it's the way in which the diversions are bland, listless, annoyingly familiar, and patently unengaging.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
01/30/06
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

Sports too many formulaic weaknesses of mainstream laffers while straining for an indie cred that hitherto came naturally to writer-director Finn Taylor.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/26/06
Dennis Harvey
Dennis Harvey
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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