Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Rare Birds

  • 2001
  • R
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
William Hurt, Andy Jones, and Molly Parker in Rare Birds (2001)
Home Video Trailer from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Play trailer1:25
1 Video
19 Photos
ComedyDramaMystery

A down-and-out restaurateur and his neighbor hatch a plan to lure luminaries to their small Newfoundland town.A down-and-out restaurateur and his neighbor hatch a plan to lure luminaries to their small Newfoundland town.A down-and-out restaurateur and his neighbor hatch a plan to lure luminaries to their small Newfoundland town.

  • Director
    • Sturla Gunnarsson
  • Writer
    • Edward Riche
  • Stars
    • William Hurt
    • Andy Jones
    • Molly Parker
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.3/10
    1.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Sturla Gunnarsson
    • Writer
      • Edward Riche
    • Stars
      • William Hurt
      • Andy Jones
      • Molly Parker
    • 35User reviews
    • 8Critic reviews
    • 60Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 6 wins & 9 nominations

    Videos1

    Rare Birds
    Trailer 1:25
    Watch Rare Birds

    Photos19

    William Hurt and Molly Parker in Rare Birds (2001)
    William Hurt and Molly Parker in Rare Birds (2001)
    William Hurt and Molly Parker in Rare Birds (2001)
    William Hurt and Molly Parker in Rare Birds (2001)
    Molly Parker in Rare Birds (2001)
    Molly Parker in Rare Birds (2001)
    Molly Parker in Rare Birds (2001)
    Molly Parker in Rare Birds (2001)
    William Hurt and Molly Parker in Rare Birds (2001)
    William Hurt and Molly Parker in Rare Birds (2001)
    Molly Parker in Rare Birds (2001)
    Molly Parker in Rare Birds (2001)

    Top cast

    Edit
    William Hurt
    William Hurt
    • Dave
    Andy Jones
    • Phonce
    Molly Parker
    Molly Parker
    • Alice
    Vicky Hynes
    • Deb
    Greg Malone
    • Buster Bartlett
    Michael Chiasson
    • Dr. Jack Tomlinson
    Barry Newhook
    • Caller #1…
    Laura Tobin
    • Girl #1
    Maggie Meyer
    • Girl #2
    Frankie O'Neill
    • Brit Woman
    Lawrence Barry
    Lawrence Barry
    • Hooligan
    Leah Lewis
    • Bette
    Todd Perrin
    • Cook
    Deidre Gillard-Rowlings
    Deidre Gillard-Rowlings
    • Waitress
    Matthew Clarke
    • Bartender
    John Moyes
    • Male Diner
    Sheila McCarthy
    Sheila McCarthy
    • Claire
    Bryan Hennessey
    • Cortini
    • Director
      • Sturla Gunnarsson
    • Writer
      • Edward Riche
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain
    6.6
    The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain
    The Dark Half
    6.0
    The Dark Half
    Who Loves the Sun
    5.8
    Who Loves the Sun
    Suspicious River
    5.7
    Suspicious River
    Nearest to Heaven
    5.3
    Nearest to Heaven
    The Big Chill
    7.1
    The Big Chill
    Contaminated Man
    4.9
    Contaminated Man
    The Plague
    5.6
    The Plague
    eXistenZ
    6.8
    eXistenZ
    Second Best
    6.9
    Second Best
    Loved
    4.6
    Loved
    The Playroom
    5.3
    The Playroom

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Filmed in 30 days, except for the final shot, which was delayed for seven months. An unexpected early snowfall forced the shot (of a car on a road near the sea) to be postponed until the snow melted the following May.
    • Goofs
      Level of wine glass when Dave and Phonse are eating in the kitchen.
    • Quotes

      Phonce: There's two kinds of people in the world: those whose arse holes seize up during a crisis and those who shit themselves. Winston Churchill, during the blitz for instance - his sphincter locked with bulldog determination. They say he never shit during the entire Battle of Britain.

    • Soundtracks
      Don't You Know
      Written by Bobby Worth

      Performed by Della Reese

      Courtesy of RCA Records

    User reviews35

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    A Quirky Rare Duck Indeed
    The haute-cuisine Newfoundland restaurant (with its fine wines) called "The Auk," owned by Dave Purcell (William Hurt), is almost out of business because there is no business. One night his friend, Alphonse "Phonce" Murphy (Andy Jones) asks him over to his house for dinner, where he meets Phonce's sprightly sister-in-law Alice (Molly Parker), from Gull Tickle. After the meal, Phonce takes Dave to his shed through a secret tunnel that is lit up with sheets of light hung up via a clothesline (Yuri Tsvetkov illumination system). In the shed, Phonce shows Dave a 26-pound carton of cocaine that he found at sea. Phonce wants to know what it's worth, but Dave advises him to throw it into the ocean. But when Dave snorts it, he tells Phonce that it is good quality. Phonce then shows Dave his 1,200 pound two-man prototype RSV (Recreational Submarine Vehicle). So these story lines set up the rest of the movie.

    At a local library Phonce convinces Dave to claim that he saw an extremely rare bird (Tasker's Sulphureous Duck) at Push Cove (near Cape Spear NHS) close to the restaurant. Such an assertion will attract birders to the area, and since they have to eat, will provide customers for Dave's business. The ruse works as birders rush to the bay to get a glimpse of the duck. The restaurant is extremely busy. Dave, though, gets into the habit of snorting cocaine. He feels guilty when a birder plunges off a nearby cliff in a fruitless search for the rare duck. Dave convinces him otherwise, and then enlists his aid in launching his prototype sub.

    Just when the long-awaited romantic interlude between Dave and Alice apparently commences, his long separated wife Claire announces that she will be arriving from Washington, DC. Then the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) show up! What will Dave do? Will he dump the coke? Will he hang onto the girl from Gull Tickle? Will the duck ruse last? What does the RCMP want? One thing is for certain, this writer did not need to see Hurt's naked butt! Another thing, the subplots generally detract from the main story. And Dave's attraction to the coke was pointless. By the way, the Taskers Sulphureous Duck is non-existent. And the Yuri Tsvetkov illumination system is probably unreal.

    On positive notes, the cinematography is excellent: the movie was filmed off the rocky and rugged shores of Newfoundland. Hurt is good as usual, and Jones is comedic. Red-headed Molly Parker, a Canadian gal, is so appealing that she brightens up the entire film. She is a scene-stealer. I do not see her attraction for the far-older man, however, except for his food-preparation expertise. By the way, the restaurant is named after the Great Auk, the flightless Atlantic sea bird that was unfortunately hunted to extinction in 1844. "Rare Birds" is really harmless fluff, lighthearted entertainment that does not really go anywhere. Yet it is entertaining, and this author did not waste time in watching it.
    helpful•1
    0
    • romanorum1
    • Sep 14, 2018

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 18, 2003 (Italy)
    • Country of origin
      • Canada
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Рідкісні птахи
    • Filming locations
      • Cape Spear, Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Big Pictures Entertainment
      • Pope Productions
      • Rare Productions Ltd.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $5,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 39 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    William Hurt, Andy Jones, and Molly Parker in Rare Birds (2001)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Rare Birds (2001) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.