Plot
A forensic detective and an insurance investigator trek to investigate a potential Darwin Award winner. From www.darwinawards.com: "Honoring those who improve the species...by accidentally removing themselves from it!"
Release Year: 2006
Rating: 5.8/10 (5,805 voted)
Director:
Finn Taylor
Stars: Joseph Fiennes, Winona Ryder, David Arquette
Storyline A forensic detective and an insurance investigator trek to investigate a potential Darwin Award winner. From www.darwinawards.com: "Honoring those who improve the species...by accidentally removing themselves from it!"
Cast: David Arquette
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Harvey
Ty Burrell
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Emile
Josh Charles
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Paramedic
Kevin Dunn
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Insurance Exec
Nora Dunn
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Mrs. Pearlman
Joseph Fiennes
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Michael Burrows
Judah Friedlander
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Simon
Lukas Haas
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Farley
Tom Hollander
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Henry
Brad Hunt
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Stan
Juliette Lewis
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Joleen
Julianna Margulies
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Carla
Tim Blake Nelson
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Perp
Alessandro Nivola
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Ad Exec
Chris Penn
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Tom
Trivia:
The scene involving the JATO rocket is not the only "Mythbusters" connection in the film. Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman also examined (and debunked) the story of the ice fishing with dynamite mishap in a subsequent episode of Alaska myths. Additionally, the "pulley" sequence with Michael and the filmmaker sliding up and down the building face on a rope is a slightly-altered retelling of the "barrel of bricks" myth which Adam and Jamie also investigated (and found somewhat plausible if highly unlikely).
Goofs:
Factual errors:
The JATO bottle used on C-130's is a solid fueled rocket, thus no mixing of fuels is required. Furthermore, the C-130 used 8 such bottles, 4 on each side, and all 8 combined add only an extra 1000 lbs of thrust on takeoff.
User Review
Didn't want to fast forward through ANY of this movie
Rating: 9/10
Choose "The Darwin Awards" if you want a relaxing afternoon or evening
watching a fun film with enough laughs to make you walk away satisfied.
Looking at my IMDb ID, "fastforwardaddict," you would surmise correctly
that I have no patience for lame or poorly constructed movies. I
fastforward through everything that is subpar. If the writing and/or
the acting are bad, the DVD goes right back into the Netflix or
Blockbuster sleeve. Favorite movies of mine include those that are
considered by such critics as Leonard Maltin to be four star rated. I
say all this because when this came out in the theatres, I read
newspaper and magazine reviews that made it seem like a dud. Seems
rather fishy now, because I watched this with a male who is also very
hard to please and we both liked it. At the end, he said, "You picked a
winner this time." One criticism I read was that there was no chemistry
between Joseph Fiennes and Winona Ryder. First of all, the movie was
about Fiennes truly irritating the h... out of Ryder. Haven't you ever
worked with someone who drove you nuts? Well, Fiennes couldn't have
played this more perfectly. I've known characters like this and he is
right on the money. I also knew a character just like the one he played
in "Forever Mine" and he was right on the money there, too. His facial
expressions are enough in so many instances, he doesn't even have to
talk. His stiff body language was absolutely suited to the character he
was playing. Ryder was excellent as his co-worker. Why do you think she
survived her legal and public relations' problems? Because she is a
very good actress. As for the chemistry between them, that is
subjective; I sensed it.
Most of the Darwin situations, i.e., what the nutty victims did, were
priceless, particularly the fellow who attached the missile to his car.
The actors who played the husband and wife who were nearby made those
characters very believable.
The comedic writing was good. The quips between Fiennes and Ryder were
great! I hardly ever watch a movie twice, but I would watch this one
again just to hear them go at each other, and to watch with even more
of my friends and relatives to share the lighthearted fun. Sarcastic
but cute give and take in a conversation is not easy to write, but the
writers succeeded here.
Fiennes's range is wide: all the way from well-acted serious films such
as "Luther" and particularly, "Leo," to this light and happy, very
good-for-a-Saturday-afternoon provider of laughs.
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