Directed by:
Finn TaylorCinematography:
Hiro NaritaComposer:
David KitayCast:
Joseph Fiennes, Winona Ryder, David Arquette, Kevin Dunn, Chris Penn, Max Perlich, Tim Blake Nelson, Julianna Margulies, Nora Dunn, Tom Hollander (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
The Darwin Awards takes a darkly comic view at the people who risk their lives pursuing a crazy idea, only to end up improving the human race by removing themselves from the gene pool and thus earning a "Darwin" award. Winona Ryder stars as an insurance claims investigator, along with Joseph Fiennes as a forensic detective, who team up to investigate potential Darwin Award winners. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (4)
It will remain a mystery to me for a long time how such a subject and such a cast could have produced such a lackluster film. While "idiocy of dying" is notoriously familiar from any number of internet fan sites, its visual execution offers not a shred of innovation. Of the characters who weren’t properly utilized, the only ones that I vaguely remember are the dork Fiennes and the pair of "MythBusters." In more skilled creative hands, this would have been a memorable romp for generations to come, but this has been rightly forgotten.
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Decent fun with a pleasantly wacky and dark idea. The detective line is excellent, spiced up with decent dialogue and fine details. You could say this is a non-horror variation of Final Destination. I was entertained and even laughed at times. Too bad I ran out of breath towards the end. 65%.
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It is almost admirable how needlessly and stupidly some people die. This is exactly the issue that The Darwin Awards addresses, and as a lot of users have said, I think there is a bit more to be made of it. The leading couple was likable, because Joseph Fiennes is just great at looking like the owner of a lot of phobias, and Winona Ryder doesn't disappoint. And the DC aspirants were properly stupid and out of place. All in all, a film with an enjoyable cast and slightly untapped potential.
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Oh well, I didn’t enjoy The Darwin Awards as much as I did when I was younger. In fact, I was quite disappointed. The idea was great, no doubt about it, but the execution didn't quite work out. I enjoyed the stories of all those who were dying or harming themselves and others, but I wasn’t exactly thrilled about the central duo (or rather a trio). When romance started to creep its way in, it was the last straw. I’m also not a big fan of Joseph Fiennes (unlike his charismatic brother).
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