Jackson Booth-Millard
I think it being four stars, having one or two good people and the title was what persuaded me to try this film. Basically good-hearted Harbour North (Adrian Rawlins) has spent years trying to look after his motherless, recently now fatherless, and suicidal young brother Wilbur (Jamie Sives). They are inseparable and inherit their father's second-hand bookshop, and one day cleaning lady Alice (Shirley Henderson) with her daughter Mary (Lisa McKinlay) enters the shop and their lives. She helps them by selling the books patients have left behind as the hospital she works at. Harbour falls in love with Alice, and Wilbur with Mary, and soon enough all four of them are entwined, Wilbur has found a good reason to keep living, while Harbour is coming to terms with the fact he is slowly dying of an incurable condition. Also starring Casino Royale's Mads Mikkelsen as Dr. Horst, Julia Davis as Moira and Susan Vidler as Sophie. Apparently this was meant to be a black comedy, well it was certainly quite dark viewing, but I didn't find myself laughing a lot, but I guess it is worth seeing, at least once. Good!
Henry Fields
"Wilbur wants to kill himself" is a (so)moving parable about how easy is to let yourself die when everything seems meaningless and how hard is to live when a disease is mining you. Wilbur looks like a nice guy, the kind of man women like, he's good-looking, he has a brother who loves him... it doesn't seem like his existence is that miserable. Nevertheless he wants to leave this world, that's one of men's last rights so he'll try to kill himself in any possible way. On the contrary, his brother Harbour is full of life, he's an enthusiastic person, he's in love and he's just get married... how ironic, he has an incurable cancer, but that won't stop him from clinging to life till the last consequences. Scherfig has moved away from the stupid DOGMA corset, and creates a perfect balance between the smile and the crying, tenderness and misanthropy, between life and death. She reduces the roughness of the hardest moments with a sarcastic turn or relying on the darkest sense of humor (that's always the best antidote against tragedy). Step by step she shows Wilbur the right way (and to all of us). No moral judgments, no dogmatism... there's no need to. Wilbur is a celebration of life, but is also a show of respect for those who don't wanna live anymore. Eventually it is a celebration of the best cinema: the one that makes you feel better. *My rate: 8.5/10
damienmuldoon
If you can get hold of this film it is well worth a look. Set in Scotland and telling the tale of a suicidal man whose life changes when he falls in love with single mother Shirley Henderson, it is both witty and sad in just the right measure. The love interest between the two leading characters is not straight forward and it is upon this dilemma that the film's plot revolves. Carefully directed, it never crosses the line into outright sentimentality although it does come dangerously close. Shirley Henderson is wonderful, as usual, but there are also strong performances from Jamie Sives and Adrian Rawlins. It is a low-key movie but a touching one that proves movies don't have to be violent, fast moving or steamy to entertain. Particularly suitable for lovers of kitchen sink romance.
Jonathan
"Wilbur" is a pretty hard movie to describe. It has many redeeming qualities, but in the end, I just didn't like it and wished I hadn't seen it.It's another quirky comedy/drama, and it fits well into that category. I thought the writing was very good, and the comedy made me laugh out loud several times. However, the movie tries to get you to connect with the characters, and for me, it was impossible to do that. Although they're all likable people, the only one who really got to me was Wilbur's brother. If you have seen or will see the film, I'm sure you'll know why.I wanted to like this movie, and I still just couldn't. It's very funny at times, and sometimes touching, but I left the theater being more angry and repulsed than relieved and entertained.It's close, but unfortunately, no cigar.5/10
AD
