This is a charming film without any car chases, gunfights, gratuitous sex or cgi superheroes. Instead you get a lot of moody comedy, wacky characters, gorgeous coastal Canadian scenery and plenty of accents to go with.

But as with many great Canadian comedies (such as New Waterford Girl, set in the same area) you need to familiarize yourself with some Canadian stereotypes & inside jokes. First of all, you have to understand that the entire east coast of Canada exists in a mind-numbed state of boredom. Nothing happens. Ever. So any film that has a submarine & an extinct duck is already a heart-pounding thriller.

That brings me to Canadian stereotype #2: Canadians are obsessed with waterfowl. It doesn't help that the national currency--upon which most other countries proudly display the image of their greatest leaders--in Canada has a picture of a duck.

Canadian stereotype #3: The police (RCP) are totally useless, unless you need someone to jump start your engine. With this in mind, you might find the ending of the movie extra hilarious.

Canadian stereotype #4: Canadians are hyper-paranoid anxiety attacks waiting to happen. Canadians are convinced that every phone is bugged, every street has secret cameras, and government helicopters circle high overhead with infrared detectors, making sure no one so much as spits on the sidewalk. William Hurt pulls off the role brilliantly, acting like a borderline neurotic basket case when anything the least bit unusual happens.

I could go on, having lived in Newfoundland for several years (by the way, it's pronounced 'newfound-LAND') and having learned some but not nearly all the quirks of the region, but I think your best bet would be to experience it yourself someday. Just bear in mind, as you watch the movie, that it's hilarious to approximately 500,000 people on the planet. The rest of the world may not get all the gags, but it's a fun movie nonetheless.

The TV guide said that this is a comedy. OK, let's see what's so comedic about it..

William Hurt is a middle-aged loser, who sniffs cocaine whenever he's desperate, tired, or just awake! HAHAAA, SO FUNNY! William Hurt's friend finds a massive amount of cocaine, and plans for selling it, to kill hundreds of people! HAHAAA, SO FUNNY INDEED! William Hurt and his filthy friend plan a scheme to revive the first's dead restaurant, where an old lady dies out of it! HAHAAA, THIS IS WONDERFUL! William Hurt's filthy friend has a primitive submarine, which dives into water! HAHAAA, I LAUGH LIKE A DRAIN! William Hurt and his filthy friend are uncovered as rare birds' frauds, and drugs' possessors, yet the police want them for something else! HAHAAA, I LAUGH MY HEAD OFF! William Hurt rides his car, and gets away the village he used to live in! HAHAAA, I LAUGH LIKE CRAZY, BUT BECAUSE THIS IS THE MOVIE'S END!!!!

In Dumb & Dumber (1994),a movie I'm not so fond of, there are 2 dumb persons, who do dumb things, to cause some laughs. This round, we have 2 dumb persons, who do dumb things, ONLY. So weather this is the worst comedy ever, or not a comedy in the first place; rather a drama, about 2 stupid men, who are chasing their dreams stupidly. However, even this way the movie doesn't work. The events run boringly; just the scheme parts, the lead's silent attraction towards the redhead girl, and sniffing cocaine, then all of that again, and again, without any comedy, intelligence, or artistic subtleness. And out of the blue, there is a big climax, which doesn't develop anything or anyone!

Let me furiously ask: how selling the restaurant would make way for selling the cocaine? What was the filthy friend's never-unveiled plan exactly?! And why it is never-unveiled?! Why the cocaine's sub-plot basically? While the lead character was gradually immersing in addiction, I thought this would be a tragedy about the end of a man. But eventually, that line seemed irrelevant, superfluous, and freely ugly! Actually this movie merchandises cocaine like no other movie; as something that makes you so happy, get over your fatigue, and overstep your problems finely, away from being the deadly poison which destroys your brain, sexual ability, money, and - yes - life!

Moreover, if the lead doesn't love his wife, why doesn't he divorce her since the start?! What could be the reason of the redhead girl to love a stupid cocaine sniffing machine like Hurt?! How come she's dancing erotically to a serious operatic singing??!! While the S.W.A.T guy has a gun, why he gets so afraid of Hurt?! How come nobody got arrested at the end; despite knowing about the drugs, the fake birds, and kidnapping a policeman?! And finally, what was the need of the scene where Hurt is disgusted by his own excrements' smell, and does a lot to end it?! Was there dramatic befit or - Oh God - comic relief in that?!!! (Talk about irrelevant, superfluous, and freely ugly, huh!).

Simply, what's worse than a movie which you ask during it: "What's enjoyable about it"?, what's worse than a movie which you ask near its end: "What did change in its lead"?!, and what's worse than a movie which you ask after it: "What could it mean?!". No need to say that (Rare Birds) has the 3 catastrophes together!

So weather this is the worst comedy ever, or such a bland and meaningless drama (and according to the drug line, add "unscrupulous" as well!). Both ways, I'm so sad for William Hurt's talent and awful choices. I'm so sad that the character of his filthy friend didn't die at the end. And I'm so sad that I had to watch this stupidity till its end!

"Rare Birds" tells of a hapless Newfoundland restaurant owner/cook (Hurt) whose remote seaside restaurant is suffering from insufficient patronage due to a lack of advertising. A quirky friend (Jones) hatches a plot suggesting Hurt report the sighting of a nearly extinct duck to encourage bird watchers to flock to his eatery thereby stimulating his business while he's being stimulated by thoughts of his comely waitress (Parker)...etc. A fun and earnest flick which trudges through it's wry tale relying on understated tongue-in-cheek humor and quirkiness for entertainment, the film includes other salients such as a home made submarine, 22 pounds of cocaine, some much coveted sheet lights, and an RCMP SWAT team for additional substance. Overall, "RB" is a warm hearted little flick for those who don't mind off-kilteredness and the absence of the usual Hollyweird appurtenances. (B-)