The result is something that might best be called Monty Python and the Holy Mess.
The Brothers Grimm (2005)
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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
A flawed but brilliantly imaginative mix of darkness and humor reminiscent of Hammer period chillers like Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter by way of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
An uncomfortable combination of humor and horror, Brothers Grimm is full of flourishes, but lacks Gilliam's absurdist heart.
Even a master fantasist of his daring vision and whimsical humor cannot turn a frog of a script into a prince of a film.
Still more engaging than most moviemaking, but nonetheless a letdown after such a long wait.
[Gilliam's] visual alchemy isn't magic enough to keep the story from slipping into incoherence.
This aimless epic about a pair of charlatan brothers sinks under the weight of a problematic script, questionable star casting, hamfisted editing -- and penny-pinching by Gilliam's latest patrons, the Brothers Weinstein.
You won't want to pass this version of The Brothers Grimm on to your children. But you may find yourself coming back to marvel at parts of it for the rest of your life.
The Brothers Grimm might be flawed and chaotic, but it is still one of the few genuinely original and inventive adventures of the summer.
Those who adore Terry Gilliam for his taunting French soldiers in Monty Python and the Holy Grail or his weird subversiveness in Brazil may find The Brothers Grimm to be a fairy tale gone sour.
[Gilliam's] two great successes -- Time Bandits and especially Brazil -- were dazzling enough that he's been struggling ever since to prove that his best work isn't behind him. On the evidence here, the struggle continues.
Terry Gilliam casts such a mad, magical spell over the proceedings that the film is endlessly energized and gleefully imaginative.
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