The Darwin Awards

The Darwin Awards - Dark Humor, Great Writing and an All-Star Cast!!!
The Darwin Awards is about an eccentric investigator obsessed with the Darwin Award deaths - awards for those who die in such stupid ways their death raises humanity's IQ.

This movie is not a traditional comedy and will not appeal to everybody. However, if you enjoy dark humor, sharp wit and reading between the lines, you will find a LOT to enjoy in this movie. The script is expertly written, and the cast will make you wonder why you never heard of this movie.

Joe Feinnes plays the detective, and he switches to being an insurance claims investigator when he loses his job at the San Francisco Police Department. He is paired with Winona Ryder, a cynical claims agent slow to accept his psychological theories. In time they grow closer, and eventually she helps him catch the one crook who escaped him as a cop.

The story is filmed from the perspective of a documentary film maker played by Wilmer Valderama. There are also cameo appearances by John Doe...

Can't make up its mind
Althought the premise is good, the cast fabulous (chuck full of cameo performances), and the production values above average, this film doesn't know whether it wants to be a Rom-Com, straight comedy, or mystery. So it's all three. The staging of the various "Darwin Awards" is usually VERY funny, and Fiennes does a great job as the lead (he's genuinely funny doing both slapstick and some more 'high-brow' stuff);but Ryder's 'tough-girl' is just too cliched, and you never really get to feel that she is capable of becoming involved with Fiennes. If you are looking for a little mindless fun(and I do mean mindless, as in people doing some really absurd stunts)then you will like this film.

All of my heroes have always been nervous, fragile creatures
Finn Taylor (whose big directorial showcases are CHERISH and DREAM WITH THE FISHES) showed me a good time with this 2006 film, THE DARWIN AWARDS. A moderate, take-it-or-leave-it good time, but at least I laughed (a few scenes made me roar).

Joseph Fiennes plays a smart and elegant-looking Mike Burrows, SFPD forensics/homicide detective extraordinaire. His problem is what we know as vasovagal episodes with syncope: it means he faints dead away at the sight of blood. Kind of like the serial killer Dexter. He faints once too often, causing Harold-Lloyd-type situations and gets fired (I was reminded a bit of Lloyd's 1932 film WELCOME DANGER, a great classic).

Mike decides he'd better move and get another job. Somehow he inveigles his way into an insurance company and takes a shot at getting claim investigator status. The boss (the always delightful Kevin Dunn of TRANSFORMERS fame) gives him 30 days to run through several impossible claims in order to land the...

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