369:. Hurt, struggling a bit with the Newfoundland accent, still manages to turn in one of his most accessible recent performances. And the scheme to save the restaurant is deceit of a uniquely Canadian, low-key variety. Is there a hugely popular bird-lovers program on Newfoundland radio? There should be. Gunnarsson (the novel-to-movie
246:) helps Dave by making up a story about a rare Tasker's sulphureous duck sighting, which begins to help Dave's business. Phonse has been working on a prototype Recreational Submarine Vehicle (RSV) and is concerned that the Winnebago company is conducting industrial espionage and trying to steal his plans. Phonse also finds ten
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from being a flop and turns it into passable entertainment. Hurt does a nice turn as a gone-to-seed charmer whose sheepishly guilty smile still wins over women. As Phonse, Jones makes us share his con man's pleasure in fooling the rubes. Best of all is Parker, whose moxie and sexiness light up the
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has enough problems to sink three movies. The plot is a little too cute in its contrived wackiness, while the dialogue is merely serviceable. Sturla
Gunnarsson's directing is pedestrian, and too often he has the movie shift uneasily from pure slapstick to seriousness. It is only the acting that
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is, of course, a familiar part of
Canadian culture, but less often noticed is the Newfie yarn. While the Newfie joke makes fun of the supposedly low intelligence of islanders, the Newfie yarn is typically about how shrewd Newfoundlanders exploit their reputation for dumbness to trick gullible
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262:. Phonse blows up his RSV. Claire asks Dave for a divorce. Alice goes off to college. Dave finds someone to manage the restaurant and he is seen chasing Alice's taxi.
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Katherine Monk, "The producers -- B.C. style: In the latest step in
Vancouver's evolution as a film-making centre, local execs start showing the money".
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was more mixed, calling the film uneven but praising Jones's performance as Phonse and Riche's ear for dialogue with "an almost musical quality".
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Rob Antle, "Rare Birds grounded; makers hit the road: Producer drives to
Halifax festival from Toronto in wake of air traffic disruption".
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Peter Howell, "Out on a limb ; Canadian directors follow risky path looking for our personal identities in the stories they tell".
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reviewed the film positively, writing that "It's nice to see Parker, Canada's reigning onscreen queen of gloomy sexual dysfunction (
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Maria
Cranston, "Rare Birds a relief: Despite tragedy, festival thrived as people raced to movie debuts like Nfld. comedy".
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screen. In fact, Parker is so good you keep hoping she'll walk out and go to a better movie." He concluded that "the
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feels like a true Newfie yarn, even though it occasionally lapses into being a mediocre Newfie joke."
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was not one of his own selections it was singled out in a sidebar as a favourite of comedian
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and tries to get rid of it with the help of Dave. Dave falls in love with Alice (
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Marke
Andrews, "Ararat leads films with nine Genie nominations".
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David Evans, Harvey Hyslop, Donna Powell, Paul
Steffler
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Marke
Andrews, "Rare Birds should have stayed humble".
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230:) has had some bad luck recently. His wife Claire (
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702:Glen Schaefer, "Birds charming comedy".
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1004:Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie
916:Mother Trucker: The Diana Kilmury Story
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317:. It had its second screening at the
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1085:English-language comedy-drama films
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285:The soundtrack features music by
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956:Ricky Nelson: Original Teen Idol
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1060:Films based on Canadian novels
16:2001 film by Sturla Gunnarsson
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1075:2000s English-language films
600:A Century of Canadian Cinema
234:) has left him and lives in
1045:Canadian comedy-drama films
980:The Man Who Saved Christmas
143:September 9, 2001
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860:A Day Much Like the Others
415:mainlanders. At its best,
313:The film premiered at the
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129:Studio Home Entertainment
33:Theatrical release poster
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119:Lions Gate Entertainment
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900:The Diary of Evelyn Lau
539:Best Adapted Screenplay
360:The Centre of the World
988:100 Days in the Jungle
477:People's Choice Award
470:Atlantic Film Festival
319:Atlantic Film Festival
996:Beowulf & Grendel
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602:. Lynx Images, 2003.
382:Marke Andrews of the
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1080:2000s Canadian films
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327:September 11 attacks
218:based on his novel.
195:5,000,000 (estimate)
940:Such a Long Journey
924:Gerrie & Louise
892:Diplomatic Immunity
554:Best Cinematography
503:Best Motion Picture
372:Such a Long Journey
206:is a 2001 Canadian
126:Shadow Distribution
846:Films directed by
757:Halifax Daily News
742:The Globe and Mail
569:Best Sound Editing
428:in 2023, although
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303:Jonathan Goldsmith
210:film, directed by
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256:Molly Parker
238:, while his
228:William Hurt
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216:Edward Riche
208:comedy-drama
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164:Running time
136:Release date
79:Molly Parker
75:William Hurt
53:Edward Riche
908:We the Jury
879:(TV 1985-P)
876:Final Offer
559:Jan Kiesser
434:Rick Mercer
412:Newfie joke
366:Twitch City
299:Della Reese
260:Gull Tickle
99:Jeff Warren
89:Jan Kiesser
59:Produced by
39:Directed by
1035:2001 films
1029:Categories
972:Rare Birds
801:Rare Birds
790:Rare Birds
583:References
576:Nominated
563:Nominated
548:Nominated
533:Nominated
516:Nominated
512:Janet York
481:Rare Birds
430:Rare Birds
417:Rare Birds
407:Rare Birds
402:Rare Birds
287:The Pogues
272:Cape Spear
266:Production
244:Andy Jones
240:restaurant
203:Rare Birds
168:99 minutes
147:2001-09-09
66:Janet York
49:Written by
22:Rare Birds
991:(TV 2002)
983:(TV 2002)
967:(TV 2000)
959:(TV 1999)
951:(TV 1999)
935:(TV 1997)
919:(TV 1996)
911:(TV 1996)
903:(TV 1993)
718:Jeet Heer
645:Maclean's
610:. p. 179.
508:Paul Pope
453:Category
392:Jeet Heer
280:Paul Pope
95:Edited by
63:Paul Pope
999:(2005-P)
895:(1991-P)
887:(1987-P)
871:(1982-P)
405:redeems
336:Reaction
181:Language
105:Music by
71:Starring
459:Result
394:of the
323:Halifax
309:Release
252:cocaine
184:English
173:Country
145: (
1015:(2013)
1007:(2010)
975:(2001)
943:(1998)
927:(1997)
863:(1979)
606:
463:Ref(s)
447:Award
440:Awards
354:Kissed
226:Dave (
189:Budget
176:Canada
151: (
964:Scorn
474:2001
377:Scorn
248:kilos
795:IMDb
604:ISBN
485:Won
297:and
222:Plot
123:Nexo
804:at
793:at
321:in
250:of
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615:^
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305:.
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193:$
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155:)
149:)
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