About the Screenplay:

HARD TO FIND BOOK, only a very limited number of copies are still available.

Birthday Girl contains the Jez Butterworth screenplay of the 2001 British comedy thriller film starring Nicole Kidman, Ben Chaplin, Vincent Cassel, Mathieu Kassovitz, directed by Jez Butterworth.

John Buckingham (Ben Chaplin) is a lonely, mild-mannered employee with a small home and a life built on routine who has never been lucky in love. Fed up with waiting for the right girl to come along, John takes a chance on a Russian bride arranged through a mail order service called "From Russia with Love" via the Internet. The morning she arrives is her birthday, but he's the one who's in for the surprise. He winds up with the enigmatic Nadia (Nicole Kidman) at his beck and call. She's more attractive than he expected. And almost nothing about her is what it appears to be. She only speaks one word of English: "Yes" – a contractual shortfall that persuades him to return her to Russia pronto. Easier said than done, when her undeniable sexual skills make him finally feel alive. Maybe it might work out after all? As he dithers, John's feelings deepen. But it seems this Eastern Bloc beauty also comes with a shady past and some even shadier friends. When Nadia's rowdy Russian "cousin," Yuri (Mathieu Kassovitz) and his pal Alexei (Vincent Cassel) turn up unannounced, John's life is turned upside-down as he learns the truth behind his relationship with his glamorous glasnost wife and is taken on the adventure of a lifetime. Birthday Girl is a cautionary fable that warns: When you purchase a life partner, be sure to get a warranty.

What people say:

"Setting aside glamour for a turn at pure acting, Nicole Kidman zings up the already zingy script of Birthday Girl. This smart and funny love story about an uptight English bank teller who orders a Russian mail-order bride over the Internet is a noteworthy follow-up to Brit helmer Jez Butterworth's acclaimed stage bow Mojo, which he later filmed." — Variety

Jez Butterworth is a leading English playwright, screenwriter, and film director whose work is characterized by its distinctive language, dark comedic themes, and lowlife characters. His work has frequently been compared to that of his mentor – playwright Harold Pinter – and to the films of Guy Ritchie. He has won numerous awards for his work, including the E. M. Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.