Atmosphere alone doesn't make a movie
The Brothers Grimm (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:175
Fresh:65
Rotten:110
Average Rating:5.1/10
Consensus: The Brothers Grimm is full of beautiful imagery, but the story is labored and less than enchanting.
Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
US Box Office: $37,848,537
Synopsis: Director Terry Gilliam, who brought his magical storytelling talents to such films as TIME BANDITS and THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN, sets his sights on the Brothers Grimm, turning their life... Director Terry Gilliam, who brought his magical storytelling talents to such films as TIME BANDITS and THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN, sets his sights on the Brothers Grimm, turning their life into a playfully grim fairy tale all its own. Set in early 18th century French-occupied Germany, THE BROTHERS GRIMM stars Matt Damon as Will Grimm and Heath Ledger as Jake Grimm, siblings who travel the countryside as snake-oil salesmen, convincing unsuspecting towns that they are haunted and agreeing to get rid of the demons--for a price. In the meantime, they set their tales down in writing, creating a wealth of oddball, offbeat, and frightening characters. But after they are caught by General Delatombe (Jonathan Pryce) and his sidekick, Cavaldi (Peter Stormare), they are sent to the tiny village of Marbaden to solve the mysterious disappearance of a number of young girls, placing them in the middle of a fantasy world unlike any they'd ever invented. They enlist the help of a peasant woman, Angelika (Lena Headey), and they set off for the evil forest to save the lives of the girls--and themselves. Gilliam has once again built a unique, entertaining land where anything can happen, and he throws in references to such Grimm tales as Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Rapunzel, and the Frog Prince for good measure. The movie also features Mackenzie Crook and Richard Ridings as the Grimms' cohorts, Monica Bellucci as the Mirror Queen, and Julian Bleach and Bruce McEwan as two of Cavaldi's henchmen. [More]
Starring: Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Peter Stormare, Monica Bellucci
Starring: Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Peter Stormare, Monica Bellucci, Jonathan Pryce, Lena Headey, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, Mackenzie Crook, Richard Ridings, Julian Bleach, Bruce McEwan
Director: Terry Gilliam
Director: Terry Gilliam
Screenwriter: Ehren Kruger
Producer: Charles Roven, Daniel Bobker
Composer: Dario Marinelli
Studio: Dimension Films
Reviews for The Brothers Grimm
It’s ironic that a movie whose central characters are two of the world’s greatest storytellers should be so careless in telling its own story.
a film overflowing with cool sets and special effects, yet it’s also rather emotionally unengaging, something that has plagued Gilliam all throughout his career.
Terry Gilliam is as unable to make an uninteresting movie as he is unable to make a “commercial” film...[but this] feels the most commercial and least Gilliamesque to me.
Kruger may put in his best script, but Gilliam does everything in his power to demystify it with wackiness!
Maybe they should have cast Affleck with Damon and called it "Bad Grimm Haunting"
The Brothers Grimm is fascinating but only in the way that watching a good director misfire this badly can be.
The Brothers Grimm has enough haunting, fairy-tale imagery for 10 movies, but no emotional kick to drive those images home.
Brazil fans are likely to return from this not-so-enchanted forest disillusioned, sustained only by the scattered breadcrumbs of Gilliam's genius....
It’s kind of cold and it’s kind of a mess, but I thought it was a glorious mess and it looks so great and it is so interesting and there is so much going on that I have to recommend it on a very mild level.
... an enchantingly quirky [journey]-- provided you're willing to buy a ticket and climb aboard director Terry Gilliam's flying circus, no questions asked.
The Brothers Grimm is numbingly grim even for him, Terry Gilliam. ... Sometimes outlandish and quirky just isn't enough, even by rebel-filmmaker standards.
Un conte de fée à la recherche d’un conte. Pas complètement dépourvu de magie, cependant.
would be too easy to make a pun out of the title "The Brothers Grimm," because its a fair description of the atmosphere of the film itself.
Gilliam is still a visual showman, a childish tease and an artist with an imagination too big for cinema.
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