The Darwin Awards (2006)
Tomatometer
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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
Reviews for The Darwin Awards
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Click to read the article Full Review |
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A delightful, winning tribute to those annual kudos given to people who died from sheer stupidity, thereby improving the gene pool. Full Review |
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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 |
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The humor dissipates as we watch one weird death after another. Full Review |
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Just a voyeuristic excuse to watch people die in different ways. Full Review |
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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 |
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tries so very hard but just doesn't manage to be very funny Full Review |
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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 |
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While the film has some funky flaws, it’s a terrific satire and is downright hilarious. Full Review |
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Taylor and his friends seem to be having a great time but could have let the audience in on the joke. Full Review |
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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 |
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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 |
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