Rare Birds (2001)

Rare Birds (2001)
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Iceland-born Canadian filmmaker Sturla Gunnarsson spins this offbeat comedy about fine food and feathered friends. The owner of a failing gourmet eatery in a small Newfoundland town, Dave Purcell (William Hurt) is about to throw in the towel. As he raids his wine cellar and nurses his sorrows, his wacky friend Alphonse Murphy (Andy Jones) hatches a scheme to save the restaurant. They announce a faked sighting of a rare bird in the restaurant's vicinity, and soon bird watchers and even celebrities are pouring into the establishment. Dave's restaurant is so busy, in fact, that he hires Alphonse's shapely sister-in-law, Alice (Molly Parker), and in less time than it takes to burn a soufflé, romantic sparks are flying between the two. Unfortunately, Alphonse's schemes aren't limited to ornithological fraud. He has some hackneyed plan involving a submarine and a pile of cocaine that could bring down all that Dave has built. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

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Starring:
William HurtAndy Jones, (more)
Director(s):
Sturla Gunnarsson
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
R
Format(s):
DVD  | Digital SD
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Synopsis of Rare Birds

Iceland-born Canadian filmmaker Sturla Gunnarsson spins this offbeat comedy about fine food and feathered friends. The owner of a failing gourmet eatery in a small Newfoundland town, Dave Purcell (William Hurt) is about to throw in the towel. As he raids his wine cellar and nurses his sorrows, his wacky friend Alphonse Murphy (Andy Jones) hatches a scheme to save the restaurant. They announce a faked sighting of a rare bird in the restaurant's vicinity, and soon bird watchers and even celebrities are pouring into the establishment. Dave's restaurant is so busy, in fact, that he hires Alphonse's shapely sister-in-law, Alice (Molly Parker), and in less time than it takes to burn a soufflé, romantic sparks are flying between the two. Unfortunately, Alphonse's schemes aren't limited to ornithological fraud. He has some hackneyed plan involving a submarine and a pile of cocaine that could bring down all that Dave has built. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:
101 mins

Complete Cast of Rare Birds


Director(s):
Sturla Gunnarsson
Writer(s):
Edward Riche
Producer(s):
Janet YorkPaul Pope
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
R(Substance Abuse, Adult Situations, Drug Content, Questionable for Children, Profanity, Adult Language, Not For Children)
Categories:
Comedy
Warning:  This product is intended for mature audiences only. It may contain violence, sexual content, drug abuse and/or strong language. You must be 17 or older to purchase it. By ordering this item you are certifying that you are at least 17 years of age.

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Member Reviews
 
Marina V.

Overall very entertaining. I rented it because of William Hurt. He is wonderful as always, and as always different. Great movie to watch on a rainy day.

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Laurie N.

Fine acting overall, and there are some very funny moments. And I love the wild, beautiful Newfoundland setting. But the secondary storylines (other than the main romantic story) got a little too bizarre and seemed rather forced towards the end. So I found this to be a much better movie during the first half than during the second.

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Betsylew M.

We enjoyed this movie. Good story wtih likable cast of somewhat oddball characters.

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