The Darwin Awards (film): Difference between revisions

The Darwin Awards
The Darwin Awards
	Promotional poster for The Darwin Awards
Directed by	Finn Taylor
Written by	Finn Taylor
Produced by	Jason Blum; Debbie Brubaker; Dieter Busch; Frank Capra III; Charles Hsiao; Laurie Miller; Peter Naish; Steven Siebert; Jane Sindell; Johnny Wow
Starring	Joseph Fiennes; Winona Ryder; David Arquette; Juliette Lewis; Wilmer Valderrama; Chris Penn; Julianna Margulies; Robin Tunney; Brad Hunt; Josh Charles; Judah Friedlander; Lukas Haas; D. B. Sweeney; Adam Savage; Jamie Hyneman;
Cinematography	Hiro Narita
Edited by	Rick LeCompte
Music by	David Kitay
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	January 25, 2006 (Sundance)
Running time	93 min.
Language	English

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The Darwin Awards is a comedy film based on the website of the same name.

Written and directed by Finn Taylor, the film premiered January 25, 2006, at the Sundance Film Festival. The film features Joseph Fiennes, Winona Ryder, David Arquette, Juliette Lewis, Wilmer Valderrama, Chris Penn, Julianna Margulies, Robin Tunney, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Brad Hunt, Adam Savage, Jamie Hyneman and Metallica. This was Chris Penn's last movie before his death on January 24, 2006, the day before the movie's premiere. The film includes several full and partial re-enactments of "Darwin Awards", most of which are actually urban legends, most notably the debunked JATO Rocket Car story.

File:Darwin awards.jpg

Joseph Fiennes in The Darwin Awards

Plot

The movie opens with a shot of a man in a car with a JATO rocket strapped to it. The relevance of the opening is not explained for some time as the movie shifts gears to a detailed look into the life of Michael Burrows, a criminal profiler for the San Francisco Police Department. Much of the film is shot in a documentary style, ostensibly as a part of a dissertation by a film school grad that follows Michael through the movie. Fired from the force after his hemophobia lets a serial killer get away, he drifts about in a deep depression for several weeks before coming up with a way to combine his obsession with the Darwin Awards with his talent for profiling: Help insurance companies detect people that are likely to accidentally end their own lives before they are sold insurance policies. After impressing a manager at the insurance company with his talent for profiling, he's paired up with Siri, a specialist in strange insurance cases.

Siri and Michael travel the country investigating several legendary examples of stupidity on behalf of the insurance company, such as the above mentioned JATO rocket car, not all of which would qualify as 'Darwin Awards'. For example, a pair of men who are attempting to ice fish get frustrated and try to use a stick of dynamite to blast a hole in the ice only to have their trusty dog fetch the stick of dynamite, run back to their brand-new SUV, and sink it to the bottom of the lake without either man being killed. As they investigate those and other cases, Michael tries to find a common factor in these people; the closest the movie gets to an explanation is a confused monologue by Siri about insurance companies always denying claims and driving people insane.

Ironically, Michael narrowly avoids becoming a Darwin Award winner throughout the movie. In one instance, he and Siri are stranded out in the middle of nowhere on a cold winter night. Desperate for warmth, he attempts to set a fire with gasoline to get warm only to blow up his own car. In a later scene, Siri confronts Michael, accusing him of being so obsessed with the Darwin Award winners because he suspects he is one of them.

A twist of fate leads to Michael finding out where the murder suspect he let get away lives. As he attempts to videotape the man in his home by rappelling down the side of his building, the film school student is seen for the first time. He, too, is hanging on the side of the building by a rope- with the other end of the same rope Michael is dangling by. The stone vase the pair is anchored by inches closer to the edge as the serial killer taunts them from the roof, slicing open Siri's hand in an effort to trigger Michael's hemophobia. Michael is able to overcome his hemophobia, defeat the serial killer, and live happily ever after with Siri.

Reception

The movie was disliked by critics, and received a 25% rating on RottenTomatoes.com.^[1] Critics typically complained that the movie was formulaic and not funny.

External links

References

^ RottenTomatoes.com page for The Darwin Awards

[1] RottenTomatoes.com page for The Darwin Awards

[1]

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
   image          = Darwin awards poster.jpg |
   caption        = Promotional poster for ''The Darwin Awards'' |
-  imdb_id        = 0428446 |
   director       = [[Finn Taylor]] |
   producer       = Jason Blum<br />Debbie Brubaker<br />Dieter Busch<br />[[Frank Capra III]]<br />Charles Hsiao<br />Laurie Miller<br />Peter Naish<br />Steven Siebert<br />Jane Sindell<br />Johnny Wow |
   writer         = [[Finn Taylor]] |
-  starring       = [[Joseph Fiennes]]<br />[[Winona Ryder]]<br />[[David Arquette]]<br />[[Juliette Lewis]]<br />[[Wilmer Valderrama]]<br />[[Chris Penn]]<br />[[Julianna Margulies]]<br />[[Robin Tunney]]<br />[[Brad Hunt]]<br />[[Josh Charles]]<br />[[Judah Friedlander]]<br />[[Lukas Haas]]<br />[[D.B. Sweeney]]<br />[[Adam Savage]]<br />[[Jamie Hyneman]]<br /> |
+  starring       = [[Joseph Fiennes]]<br />[[Winona Ryder]]<br />[[David Arquette]]<br />[[Juliette Lewis]]<br />[[Wilmer Valderrama]]<br />[[Chris Penn]]<br />[[Julianna Margulies]]<br />[[Robin Tunney]]<br />[[Brad Hunt]]<br />[[Josh Charles]]<br />[[Judah Friedlander]]<br />[[Lukas Haas]]<br />[[D. B. Sweeney]]<br />[[Adam Savage]]<br />[[Jamie Hyneman]]<br /> |
   music          = David Kitay |
   cinematography = [[Hiro Narita]] |
@@ Line 21: / Line 19: @@
 '''''The Darwin Awards''''' is a [[comedy film]] based on the [[Darwin Awards|website of the same name]].
-Written and directed by [[Finn Taylor]], the film premiered January 25, 2006, at the [[Sundance Film Festival]].  The film features [[Joseph Fiennes]], [[Winona Ryder]], [[David Arquette]], [[Juliette Lewis]], [[Wilmer Valderrama]], [[Chris Penn]], [[Julianna Margulies]], [[Robin Tunney]], [[Lawrence Ferlinghetti]], [[Brad Hunt]], [[Adam Savage]], [[Jamie Hyneman]] and [[Metallica]].  This was [[Chris Penn]]'s last movie before his death on January 24, 2006, the day before the movie's premiere.  The film includes several full and partial re-enactments of "[[Darwin Awards]]", most of which are actually urban legends, most notably the debunked [[JATO Rocket Car]] story.
+Written and directed by [[Finn Taylor]], the film premiered January 25, 2006, at the [[Sundance Film Festival]]. The film features [[Joseph Fiennes]], [[Winona Ryder]], [[David Arquette]], [[Juliette Lewis]], [[Wilmer Valderrama]], [[Chris Penn]], [[Julianna Margulies]], [[Robin Tunney]], [[Lawrence Ferlinghetti]], [[Brad Hunt]], [[Adam Savage]], [[Jamie Hyneman]] and [[Metallica]]. This was [[Chris Penn]]'s last movie before his death on January 24, 2006, the day before the movie's premiere.  The film includes several full and partial re-enactments of "[[Darwin Awards]]", most of which are actually urban legends, most notably the debunked [[JATO Rocket Car]] story.
 [[Image:Darwin awards.jpg|left|thumb|Joseph Fiennes in ''The Darwin Awards'']]
 ==Plot==
-The movie opens with a shot of a man in a car with a [[JATO]] rocket strapped to it.  The relevance of the opening is not explained for some time as the movie shifts gears to a detailed look into the life of Michael Burrows, a [[criminal profiler]] for the [[San Francisco Police Department]].  Much of the film is shot in a documentary style, ostensibly as a part of a dissertation by a film school grad that follows Michael through the movie.  Fired from the force after his [[hemophobia]] lets a [[serial killer]] get away, he drifts about in a deep [[depression (mood)|depression]] for several weeks before coming up with a way to combine his obsession with the Darwin Awards with his talent for profiling: Help insurance companies detect people that are likely to accidentally end their own lives before they are sold insurance policies. After impressing a manager at the insurance company with his talent for profiling, he's paired up with Siri, a specialist in strange insurance cases.
+The movie opens with a shot of a man in a car with a [[JATO]] rocket strapped to it. The relevance of the opening is not explained for some time as the movie shifts gears to a detailed look into the life of Michael Burrows, a [[criminal profiler]] for the [[San Francisco Police Department]].  Much of the film is shot in a documentary style, ostensibly as a part of a dissertation by a film school grad that follows Michael through the movie. Fired from the force after his [[hemophobia]] lets a [[serial killer]] get away, he drifts about in a deep [[depression (mood)|depression]] for several weeks before coming up with a way to combine his obsession with the Darwin Awards with his talent for profiling: Help insurance companies detect people that are likely to accidentally end their own lives before they are sold insurance policies. After impressing a manager at the insurance company with his talent for profiling, he's paired up with Siri, a specialist in strange insurance cases.
-Siri and Michael travel the country investigating several legendary examples of stupidity on behalf of the insurance company, such as the above mentioned JATO rocket car, not all of which would qualify as 'Darwin Awards'.  For example, a pair of men who are attempting to ice fish get frustrated and try to use a stick of dynamite to blast a hole in the ice only to have their trusty dog fetch the stick of dynamite, run back to their brand-new SUV, and sink it to the bottom of the lake without either man being killed.  As they investigate those and other cases, Michael tries to find a common factor in these people; the closest the movie gets to an explanation is a confused monologue by Siri about insurance companies always denying claims and driving people insane.
+Siri and Michael travel the country investigating several legendary examples of stupidity on behalf of the insurance company, such as the above mentioned JATO rocket car, not all of which would qualify as 'Darwin Awards'. For example, a pair of men who are attempting to ice fish get frustrated and try to use a stick of dynamite to blast a hole in the ice only to have their trusty dog fetch the stick of dynamite, run back to their brand-new SUV, and sink it to the bottom of the lake without either man being killed. As they investigate those and other cases, Michael tries to find a common factor in these people; the closest the movie gets to an explanation is a confused monologue by Siri about insurance companies always denying claims and driving people insane.
-Ironically, Michael narrowly avoids becoming a Darwin Award winner throughout the movie.  In one instance, he and Siri are stranded out in the middle of nowhere on a cold winter night.  Desperate for warmth, he attempts to set a fire with gasoline to get warm only to blow up his own car.  In a later scene, Siri confronts Michael, accusing him of being so obsessed with the Darwin Award winners because he suspects he is one of them.
+Ironically, Michael narrowly avoids becoming a Darwin Award winner throughout the movie. In one instance, he and Siri are stranded out in the middle of nowhere on a cold winter night. Desperate for warmth, he attempts to set a fire with gasoline to get warm only to blow up his own car. In a later scene, Siri confronts Michael, accusing him of being so obsessed with the Darwin Award winners because he suspects he is one of them.
-A twist of fate leads to Michael finding out where the murder suspect he let get away lives.  As he attempts to videotape the man in his home by rappelling down the side of his building, the film school student is seen for the first time.  He, too, is hanging on the side of the building by a rope- with the other end of the same rope Michael is dangling by.  The stone vase the pair is anchored by inches closer to the edge as the serial killer taunts them from the roof, slicing open Siri's hand in an effort to trigger Michael's hemophobia.  Michael is able to overcome his hemophobia, defeat the serial killer, and live happily ever after with Siri.
+A twist of fate leads to Michael finding out where the murder suspect he let get away lives.  As he attempts to videotape the man in his home by rappelling down the side of his building, the film school student is seen for the first time. He, too, is hanging on the side of the building by a rope- with the other end of the same rope Michael is dangling by. The stone vase the pair is anchored by inches closer to the edge as the serial killer taunts them from the roof, slicing open Siri's hand in an effort to trigger Michael's hemophobia. Michael is able to overcome his hemophobia, defeat the serial killer, and live happily ever after with Siri.
 ==Reception==
@@ Line 41: / Line 39: @@
 * [http://www.darwinawards.com Official Darwin Awards Site]
 * {{imdb title|id=0428446|title=The Darwin Awards}}
+* {{amg title|id=337851|title=The Darwin Awards}}
 ==References==
@@ Line 49: / Line 48: @@
 [[Category:2006 films]]
 [[Category:2000s comedy films]]
+[[Category:American adventure comedy films]]
+[[Category:American romantic comedy films]]
+[[Category:English-language films]]
 [[Category:Independent films]]
 [[Category:English-language films]]
+[[Category:MGM films]]
 [[Category:Darwin awards]]
-[[Category:American comedy films]]
 [[cs:Darwinovy ceny]]