Top 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsMost Popular Video GamesMost Popular Music VideosMost Popular Podcasts
    Release CalendarBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersSundance Film FestivalIndependent Spirit AwardsBlack History MonthSXSWSTARmeter 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

  • 20012001
  • RR
  • 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.
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
    • Sturla Gunnarsson
    • Edward Riche(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • William Hurt
    • Andy Jones
    • Molly Parker
    • Sturla Gunnarsson
    • Edward Riche(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • William Hurt
    • Andy Jones
    • Molly Parker
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 35User reviews
    • 8Critic reviews
    • 60Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    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
      • Sturla Gunnarsson
      • Edward Riche(screenplay) (novel)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Detectorists
    8.6
    Detectorists
    Trial by Jury
    5.4
    Trial by Jury
    Marion Bridge
    6.7
    Marion Bridge
    A Time of Destiny
    5.1
    A Time of Destiny
    Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story
    6.0
    Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story
    Pure
    6.8
    Pure
    Suspicious River
    5.7
    Suspicious River
    Do Not Disturb
    4.9
    Do Not Disturb
    Contaminated Man
    4.9
    Contaminated Man
    Who Loves the Sun
    5.9
    Who Loves the Sun
    The Intruder
    4.8
    The Intruder
    The Five Senses
    6.7
    The Five Senses

    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
    Chuckle and Quack
    Rare Birds is indeed a rare find, an original and quirky little comedy, but one that is good when it could have been great. With one step in the wrong direction, Rare Birds takes a bit of a fall from grace, but not too far at least. It remains entertaining, in a way that few comedies are.

    Dave runs a small hotel and restaurant in coastal Newfoundland, but business is poor, and he is tempted to close, until his friend Phonce comes up with the idea of faking the sighting of a rare bird on the water that his hotel overlooks (a species of duck thought to be extinct). Suddenly he has a whole army of nutty birdwatchers flocking to his corner of the island. A fun start to the movie, but obviously not fun enough.

    For some reason the filmmakers are so desperate to please us that they turn Rare Birds away from charm and towards slapstick. There are a couple of awkward subplots, one involving a mini sub that Phonce has created in his garage and another which involves some military technology that Phonce has stolen which leads to him and Dave taking a secret agent hostage. It all builds up to such absurdity that it literally ends in a bang.

    The cast is a strange but charming bunch. Both William Hurt and Molly Parker are likable on screen, but it is Phonce who steals the movie. Everything comedic about Rare Birds revolves around him and the things he does.

    Even if the movie looses some of its potential to somewhat banal direction, I think it's pretty hard not to like Rare Birds even a little bit.
    helpful•3
    2
    • Samiam3
    • May 21, 2009

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 18, 2003 (Italy)
      • Canada
      • English
    • Also known as
    • 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
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 39 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital

    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
    • 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.