Movie review
The Brothers Grimm
Reviewed by Heather Adams and Diana DeFazio
Entertainment value: 2 1/2 stars
Meaning: 1 star
Emotional Impact: 2 stars
Lack of Gratuitous
Violence or Sex: 2 1/2 stars
Lack of Advertising: 4 stars
Overall Quality: 2 stars
Overall Impact: 2 stars
Perhaps in a mediocre attempt to recreate the magic of Rob Reiner’s much-loved fantasy The Princess Bride (1987), director Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame brings us The Brothers Grimm, a fictional tale set in the early 1800s about the siblings responsible for documenting the rich folklore of Europe. Matt Damon and Heath Ledger share top billing as Will and Jake Grimm, diametrically opposed brothers who travel throughout French-occupied Germany feigning to save townsfolk from witches, demons, wolves and other treacherous creatures.
Will Grimm is a business-minded trickster, continually seeking greedy pleasures. His younger brother Jake is a disheveled scribe, inking up the pages of his journal with the oral narrative of German folklore as he tries to make some humane sense of the chaos his brother Will leaves in his wake. The two are brought before a general in Napoleon’s conquering army and ordered to solve the mystery of rapidly disappearing girls in a nearby burg, or face the death sentence for their debauchery. This sets our clownish duo off on their adventure of` real spells and magic.
The Brothers Grimm is moderately entertaining, providing a few good laughs and some eye candy. It took some time to actually get into the film, despite the fact that we were plunged head-first into the drama with not even an opening credit to set the tone. We were both distracted during the movie--its pace was slow and at times uneven.
Meaning? Who needs meaning in this tale? It is just not that kind of movie; although there were some cunning political jabs related to French-occupied Germany.
From torture devices to eyeless and mouthless children, the The Brothers Grimm is loaded with cheap, knee-jerking moments of disgust. This kind of grotesque humor was not entirely out of place as it added to the absurdity of the tale, but we felt the violence was a bit overdone (i.e. gratuitous).
While we were pleased with the on-screen chemistry of Damon and Ledger, the script was disappointing, with no great one-liners to take away, as one might hope for. We also couldn’t help but notice that the mixture of historical fable and computer animation was odd and too obvious in a few scenes, adding to the overall choppiness of the film. Most of the story is set deep within a dark German forest, but was noticeably filmed inside the confines of a studio. Perhaps we are spoiled by the dramatic arboreal vistas of The Lord of the Rings.
What we did like about The Brothers Grimm was its creative weaving of a variety of Grimm fairy tales into the story; elements of each fable were artistically sprinkled throughout the movie like breadcrumbs, teasing the viewer to notice each clever clue. Unfortunately, it is in the tale-telling that the movie falls flat. The Brothers Grimm hinted at telling a new story of the recording of folklore that emerged during a time of great turmoil and hardship; instead, the film is about stories that already exist. The Grimm brothers aren’t writing their tales in this movie, but rather helplessly living out a folklore over which they have no control. Considering that the fodder for The Brothers Grimm is an epic collection of timeless stories, we were a bit un-captivated. Gilliam should have consulted Finding Neverland before finishing his movie.
Somewhat amusing, but ultimately forgetful, The Brothers Grimm is an okay rainy afternoon flick-or better yet, a winter rental.