Birthday Girl

Birthday Girl

Be careful what you wish for.

Directed by Jez Butterworth

Produced by HAL Films, Film4 Productions

200193 min5.9 / 10

A darkly comedic thriller about a lonely banker whose romantic gamble spirals into criminal chaos when his mail-order bride's true intentions are revealed.

John is a mild-mannered banker who has never been lucky in love. Fed up with waiting for the right girl to come along, John takes a chance on a Russian mail-order bride arranged via the Internet, where he is introduced to Nadia. John's fondness for Nadia grows... until the sudden arrival of Nadia's gregarious cousins makes John realize that he's in over his head.

Where to watch

Questions people ask

  • Is Birthday Girl sad? Not especially. Less sad than 73% of films.

  • Is Birthday Girl scary? Somewhat. More frightening than 72% of films.

  • Does Birthday Girl end with hope? Not especially. Less hopeful than 64% of films.

  • Is Birthday Girl violent? Somewhat. More violent than 59% of films.

  • Is Birthday Girl easy watching? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.

These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.

38/ 100

Cinnamon Score

How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.

You have seen this shape before.

Rarity54

How unlike any other film this one feels

Surprise47

How much more it delivers than it promises

Love20

How much audiences actually like it

The highest scores in the catalogue →

Ensemble

Everything like Birthday Girl, and what each one shares →

Like Birthday Girl

Nearest across the full emotional profile.

Same Mood as Birthday Girl

Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.

Like Birthday Girl, But Darker

Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.

Like Birthday Girl, But Lighter

Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.

Like Birthday Girl, But Less Popular

Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.

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