Rare Birds (2001)

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

Director:

Sturla Gunnarsson

Writers:

Edward Riche (novel), Edward Riche (screenplay)

Stars:

William Hurt, Andy Jones, Molly Parker

6 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Hurt	...	Dave
Andy Jones	...	Phonce
Molly Parker	...	Alice
Vicky Hynes	...	Deb
Greg Malone	...	Buster Bartlett
Michael Chiasson	...	Dr. Jack Tomlinson
Barry Newhook	...	Caller #1 / Hostage
Laura Tobin	...	Girl #1
Maggie Meyer	...	Girl #2
Frankie O'Neill	...	Brit Woman
Lawrence Barry	...	Hooligan
Leah Lewis	...	Bette
Todd Perrin	...	Cook
Deidre Gillard-Rowlings	...	Waitress
Matthew Clarke	...	Bartender

Storyline

Dave is down. His wife lives in Washington, D.C.; his restaurant, the Auk, in an out-of-the-way Newfoundland inlet, is a bust; a drink is rarely out of reach. An odd-duck of a neighbor, Phonce, who has found ten kilos of cocaine and wants Dave's help selling it, contrives to keep Dave in town by faking and reporting the sighting of a rare bird. Soon birders descend from everywhere, and the restaurant is a success. Dave is snorting the cocaine and falling for a young visitor who helps him out at the Auk, Phonce is launching his recreational submarine, and various men who don't look like birders are poking about. When the chickens come home to roost, will Dave and Phonse have a Plan B?

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Plot Keywords:

birdwatching | newfoundland canada | plan | restaurant | cocaine | 

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Taglines:

Fortune can make a man do some pretty fowl things.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Sturla Gunnarsson did not cast all of the smaller parts, but filled them with interesting characters he encountered during shooting. Barry Newhook, who was a grip for the film, played the role of a hostage, as well as the voice of a caller to a radio show.

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Goofs

Level of wine glass when Dave and Phonse are eating in the kitchen.

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Quotes

Phonce: There's a phone booth down by the baseball diamond. Now nobody will see you there and it's nice and quiet.
Dave: Why can't we make the phone call from here?
Phonce: Because, sir, we've got to cover our backs. Alright, Dave? They've probably got some sort of a call-tracing mechanism down at the CBC just in case some lunatic calls in and says he's planning on skullfucking the premier.

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Soundtracks

Christina's Dream/Tootsie-Wootsie
Written by Emile Benoit
Performed by Emile Benoit
Courtesy of Amber Music

User Reviews

A lighthearted and fun film!

This isn't the film of the year. It won't dazzle you or make you cry a hundred times over. But it will give you a couple of hours' worth of solid and fun-filled entertainment. Molly Parker is alluring and charismatic, and Andy Jones is an absolutely brilliant standout.

William Hurt, however, is lacking. Perhaps it's simply because every time I see William Hurt attempting romance on the screen I picture the Elephant Man, but I really think he's a stock character here - or should I say a stock actor. He's just too awkward and stiff. Now, I know his character is *supposed* to be awkward and stiff, but he seems so in a more uncomfortable manner, it doesn't feel as though he's comfortable in his role.

That aside, the film is filled with light humour, and a great story full of quirks and chuckles. It's maybe fifteen minutes too long, drags a touch towards the end, but it certainly kept me interested. And Phonse (Andy Jones) is so good when he's on screen, he basically steals the show.

Overall, it's a warm and humourous film, a great film to watch amidst million dollar blockbusters that forgo plot and quality of film-making for big names and razzle-dazzle effects, and films that are begging for Oscars and take themselves WAY too seriously. It's nice to watch something that's 'just a film' for once! And the 'Made in Canada' doesn't hurt either! 7/10.

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 July 2003 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Rare Birds

Filming Locations:

Cape Spear, Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Big Pictures Entertainment, Pope Productions, Rare Productions Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1