Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Have you heard of the Darwin Awards?  They're dubious "honors" awarded posthumously to people whose deaths are considered a blessing to the rest of humanity.  After all, they've "removed themselves from the gene pool" through their own stupidity.  Whether these stories are really true, or they're merely urban legends, one thing remains clear - people have a morbid fascination with these stories, telling them over and over again, especially through the Internet.

So, writer-director Finn Taylor took the next logical step - he created a movie surrounding this phenomenon.  Some of the most bizarre tales come to life in The Darwin Awards.  With a loose plot drawn around the 'honors', the movie is quirky, at times funny, but overall there's not much substance.

Joseph Fiennes is Michael, a down-on-his luck forensic detective.  He's quite brilliant in his job, very skilled in putting clues together.  However, his fear of blood (and resulting fainting spells) makes him fairly useless at most crime scenes.  Thus he decides to work in the insurance industry, instead.  Paired with investigator Siri (Winona Ryder), Michael sets out to investigate some of the most bizarre insurance claims ever submitted, with the ultimate goal of putting together a profile for the type of person whose stupidity leads him to meet his demise in such ridiculous ways.

Thus Michael investigates some of these "Darwin" cases, and in so doing, we get to see the people and the events as they unfold.  So we see the guys who decided to use a stick of dynamite to break through the ice in order to enjoy some ice-fishing.  Too bad their dog is so intent on "fetching" any object that's tossed away.  And then there's the guy who wanted to experience unheard of speeds in his car, so he attached a jet engine to it.  And, of course, the woman who thought that "cruise control" in a car worked the same as "auto pilot" in an airplane.  Thus she pressed the button, and left the driver's seat to go enjoy some "couple time" with her husband... You can just imagine how that one turned out!

Watching these scenes unfold was the fun part of this movie.  After all, the setups are so ridiculous and extreme that it's hard not to laugh at them. 

But the surrounding plot was completely lame.  Michael's attempts to classify these dummies into a single profile goes absolutely nowhere.  His chemistry with Winona Ryder is non-existent, yet they tried to make something of it.  And, there's a subplot about a serial killer that's tossed in for good measure, but adds nothing to the overall story. 

However, it's not all bad.

In an attempt to give this movie a documentary-feel, it seems a film student has chosen Michael to be the subject of his documentary, thus the entire story is being filmed, as it's happening.  This allows for some funny gags, like the times when the film-maker could have helped Michael and Siri get out of a jam, but didn't, because he's learned that a successful film-maker never interferes with his subjects. 

There's also a shower scene that's unbelievably funny, as the paranoid Michael is so afraid of slipping in the shower that he goes to some extreme measures to ensure his safety.  Naturally, all doesn't go exactly as planned.

Finally, with so many quick vignettes, there's a long list of stars who put in a quick appearance.  David Arquette, Ty Burrell, Juliette Lewis, Julianna Margulies, Chris Penn, Robin Tunney, Wilmer Valderrama are just a few of the faces you'll recognize.  Of course, there's also the rock legend Metallica who are part of one of the Darwin stories, showing a man who will do anything to gain entrance to a concert. And in a very cute dual cameo, the Mythbuster guys Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman appear.

Overall, this movie delivers quite a few laughs, but ultimately fails, due to a lame surrounding plot.  The Darwin segments are the allure of this movie, the rest of it is just a waste.  See it, if you enjoy reading the Darwin legends and want to see them brought to life.  Otherwise, take a pass.

Recommended: No