Movie Review

The Brothers Grimm

I have to admit that I was about seven minutes late to this screening. With most movies you can still get the gist of things as far as plot exposition, as stories are usually not so complicated so quickly that you?re lost for the rest of the movie. But seven minutes in, I felt lost ? very lost, and I never achieved a sense of comfort throughout. Part of me wondered if I should be fair and see it again to see if the introduction would get me somewhat up to speed, but the rest of the feature made it pretty clear that this production is just one confusing mess. The Brothers Grimm boasts an enticing visual design and fine performances by Matt Damon and Heath Ledger, but production design alone can?t make an entire movie. There is still that little thing called a ?story? that keeps everything moving, and this movie is in desperate need of one.

Damon and Ledger star in this medieval tale as two con artists who come across a curse that challenges them to be more courageous. They have lead villagers to believe that there are creatures in their forest, and after being called upon to stop a vicious queen, the two come face to face with these folklore beings that they thought were merely of their imagination. If this plot sounds far-fetched, we?re on the same page. Sit tight ? there?s a long two hours ahead.

I can understand any rating from a D+ to C+ on this, and rating it was somewhat hard for me (I wanted to walk out midway through, a desire I typically just get with under C+ material). I can easily see people calling this one of the worst movies ever made, and its tone did remind me a little of Dogma (B), which I did like but some consider it as being amongst the worst. Brothers Grimm has a very unusual look and feel to it, and the performances all-around are very strange. And considering there is not much of a story, the look and feel combined with the former reality will lead many people scratching their heads (and perhaps scrambling towards the refund booth).

Director Terry Gilliam has never been one to please all. He has a very distinct sensibility, and while I have not seen the prized 1985 entry, Brazil (I hear it?s visually captivating but shallow), I did see Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas (B) for the first time this year and was amazed that it didn?t just open in limited release. Fear and Loathing is one of the ultimate definitions of a cult flick: some will like it or love it while others will label it as pointless and absolutely tear it apart.

The comparson to Fear and Loathing is there in every frame. And there is also the strong sense that Miramax (or more specifically, Harvey and Bob Weinstein) didn?t let Gilliam fulfill his entire cult sensibility, hence the overall mediocre execution. There is the strong sense that the two honchos forced a lighter and goofier tone set more for mainstream audiences (and word has it that Harvey and Bob were often on the set, breathing down Gilliam?s neck).

It?s a shame because I liked Damon?s charm, and I thought Ledger gave his best performance yet (I often like ?different? material from actors, especially as unexpected as him). His goofiness annoyed me at times and characters like him usually piss me off, but it was one of those enjoyably weird performances in which the actor just totally transforms. But like with any other movie, a performance or two usually can?t fulfill an entire moviegoing experience.

Brothers Grimm was written by Ehren Kruger, who has had quite a run this year. He was behind Reindeer Games (C), Imposter, The Ring (B+), its sequel (C+) this spring, was marketed as being behind the recent Dark Water (C+) despite not being involved, and also wrote The Skeleton Key (C+). The fact that Brothers Grimm has appealing visuals almost puts it above Dark Water and Ring Two, but it?s equally as boring as both of those flicks. Grimm?s characters wander about endlessly and mythical creatures are seen here and there, and you can almost picture Kruger wandering hopelessly about in his writing, looking for ?anything.? One gets the sense that Ehren was so desperate that the random happenings in the plot are just that: random thoughts.

Fear and Loathing, while not really being about anything (you can say it worked because it?s about drugs, and many claim that watching it is like being on drugs), hooked me due to its hypnotic style and the performances by Johnny Depp and Benecio Del Toro. That?s an exception in which the performances just about made the movie, but it also allowed Gilliam to be himself. There were no compromises to appeal to a broad audience due to big budget concerns, and it?s the type of flick that could never appeal to a broad audience. There were scenes that I loved, scenes that I liked, and scenes that I didn?t care for, but I dug the film as a whole. The Brothers Grimm just has way too much ?blah? material; the director was just deprived of his own vision.

This is a frustrating effort because there is a hint of so much imagination had Gilliam?s vision been allowed (the forest showed much promise). This is the troubling part of big Hollywood studios, as they have to cater to the demands of routine moviegoers (and for Harvey and Bob, there is a lot riding on them). I?m not slamming moviegoers in terms of tolerance, but rather Miramax?s screwed-up approach. I realize that this would still be a like it or hate it feature even with an expanded imagination, but I would still have rather seen that film.

Lee's Grade: C+

A	0.4%
B	30.0%
C	61.7%
D	8.0%
F	0.0%