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      Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself

      R Released Nov 8, 2002 1 hr. 46 min. Comedy Drama List
      84% 79 Reviews Tomatometer 72% 5,000+ Ratings Audience Score When their mother dies, Harbour (Adrian Rawlins) takes it upon himself to look after his suicidal brother, Wilbur (Jamie Sives). Years later, the brothers find themselves dealing with the sudden death of their father, from whom they inherit a bookstore. While working in the shop, they meet a hospital cleaning lady named Alice (Shirley Henderson) and her daughter, Mary (Lisa McKinlay). Harbour falls in love with Alice, and Wilbur's friendship with Mary gives him something to live for. Read More Read Less
      Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself

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      Critics Consensus

      Despite its morbid subject matter, Wilbur is a charming and often funny film.

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      Audience Reviews

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      R 9 I enjoyed this one. 'Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself' makes the film sound dark and I guess it does deliver in that sense, though it wasn't as as dark as I thought it might be... there's humour in there, albeit quite dry but I do like that sorta comedic deliver at times. I don't personally have a favourite from the cast, though that's just because what they all give is just as strong as their co-stars in my eyes. Jamie Sives, Adrian Rawlins and Shirley Henderson are good value throughout, Henderson would be my pick if I were forced to choose one. Mads Mikkelsen's role is relatively minimal, but he still shows enough. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/02/23 Full Review isla s This film really didn't work for me. The initial concept seemed intriguing - within the first 10 minutes or so I thought it may be a bit of a mish mash of Black Books (the UK sitcom) and the cult film Harold & Maude but nope. Its certainly quirky but I felt the plotline overall was pretty weak and I didn't overly care too much for the main characters. There are some good people in the cast, such as Mads Mikkelsen and even Julia Davis appears in it but their not on screen very much and it felt boring and without any real direction, so I wouldn't recommend this film, no. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Deeply morbid, deeply morbid. Also, a deeply bookish and moving indie flick. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member With a title like this I can understand why people may avoid this film but I recommend they try it since it is a great film that's a delight to watch. Although it's very offbeat & black at times it's a funny film with all very real & likeable characters that you believe in. The story is simply about a man who wants out & finds life in an unusual way & finds his life is important to some others. It's not a typical film but it's a delight to watch, a real pleasant surprise. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member man this is such a strange weird movie 2 watch, but this is such an amazing movie 2 watch......i have just seen this movie 4 the 1st time n think that this is such a great movie but it is such a strange movie as well......its got a good cast of actors/actressess throughout this movie.....i think that jamie sives, adrian rawlins, shirley henderson, lisa mckinlay, mads mikkelsen (From the brilliant tv series Hannibal), play good roles/parts throughout this movie......i think that the director of this comedy/drama movie had done a great job of directing this movie because you never know what 2 expect throughout this movie.....i think that julia davis (from the brilliant tv series nighty night), was great throughout this movie......i think that this is such a really really powerful drama movie 2 watch it is a really strange movie but it is such a fantastic movie 2 watch........its got a good soundtrack throughout this movie..... The film has been well received by audiences. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 79 reviews, gives the film an 86% approval, the average rating being 7.1/10. man this is 1 strange movie but it is such a fantastic movie 2 watch it is a really well written/acted/directed movie 2 watch it is a really really powerful drama movie 2 watch it is a really really strange movie 2 watch but it is such a fantastic movie 2 watch it is such a really well written movie its got such a fantastic cast throughout this movie.....i think that this is such a brilliant movie 2 watch with a great cast throughout this movie...... Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Deeply touch , but mediocre Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (79) Critics Reviews
      Empire Magazine Rated: 4/5 Dec 30, 2006 Full Review Roger Moore Orlando Sentinel Pretty enjoyable. Rated: 3/5 May 21, 2004 Full Review Rene Rodriguez Miami Herald Scherfig shows a flair for comic melancholy ... as well as eccentric characters like Wilbur, who initially comes across as off-putting and self-obsessed, but later becomes, if not exactly warm, at least sympathetic. Rated: 3/4 May 14, 2004 Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia With the portrait of the suicidal lover, Scherfig searches for an irony that loses its ingenuity when the melodrama makes sense and leaves the main text in a kind of reductionist void. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 6/10 Aug 5, 2020 Full Review Lisa Rosman The Brooklyn Rail What's most intriguing about director Lone Scherfig's first post-Dogme 95 feature, the admittedly appealing Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself, is where and how it falls short. Jul 25, 2017 Full Review Jason Gorber Film Scouts A nice little love triangle drama-comedy about suicide and bookstores. Rated: B- Jun 21, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis When their mother dies, Harbour (Adrian Rawlins) takes it upon himself to look after his suicidal brother, Wilbur (Jamie Sives). Years later, the brothers find themselves dealing with the sudden death of their father, from whom they inherit a bookstore. While working in the shop, they meet a hospital cleaning lady named Alice (Shirley Henderson) and her daughter, Mary (Lisa McKinlay). Harbour falls in love with Alice, and Wilbur's friendship with Mary gives him something to live for.
      Director
      Lone Scherfig
      Executive Producer
      Peter Aalbæk Jensen
      Screenwriter
      Anders Thomas Jensen
      Distributor
      ThinkFilm
      Production Co
      Nordisk Film
      Rating
      R (Some Disturbing Images|Language)
      Genre
      Comedy, Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Nov 8, 2002, Original
      Release Date (DVD)
      Dec 28, 2004
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $233.1K