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The Brothers Grimm (2005) Certificate 12

The Brothers Grimm
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Rated 3.0 stars
Average rating
(55%)
 
Starring: Matt Damon | Heath Ledger | Lena Headey | Julian Bleach | Bruce McEwan | Peter Stormare | Monica Bellucci | Jonathan Pryce | Roger Ashton-Griffiths | Mackenzie Crook | Richard Ridings
Director: Terry Gilliam
Studio: WALT DISNEY STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time: 114 mins
Genres: Action/Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Languages: English
Dubbed: Italian
Hearing-impaired: English
Subtitles: English, Italian
Released: March 13, 2006

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.

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Highest rated reviews

33 out of 36 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 2.0 stars
Disappointing

Gromit from , 20th May, 2006

I was really looking forward to seeing this film, it had a lot of promise, unfortunately however I found the result really quite disappointing. Don't get me wrong though there are elements to this film that are good - the cast are great, Gilliam's visions are as vivid as ever and in places it is both amusing and scary. Unfortunately the film as a whole just does not work. I found it incredibly boring in places, so much so, the only way that I really made it through the film completely was by dividing it into half hour chunks were I would turn off the DVD player and go and do something else for a while. It was truly difficult...although I'm not entirely sure why as the plot is straightforward and there is plenty of CGI to keep you amused. Possibly it was overlong, possibly it was underdeveloped, I'm not sure....but what I am sure of is that I won't be watching it again to try and work it out! Not one to avoid - but don't choose it unless you've got absolutely nothing better to watch.

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25 out of 33 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 0.0 stars
Cack

MrBen from , 25th January, 2007

Clearly Gilliam thought of the title before writing the script. Couldn't watch till the end as I would have had to chew my own kneecap off to relive the boredom.

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22 out of 27 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 4.0 stars
Grimm by name not by nature

A Customer from Hertford, England, 4th November, 2005

This is a very funny film and you can easily see it was directed by Terry Gilliam - his touch is throughout the whole thing. There are a lot of cheesy moments but on the whole it is funny. It is full of references to the fairy tales but it is not a childrens movie. It has a few moments that caused me to jump and made me stay on the edge of my seat. Go, relax and enjoy - don't take life too seriously.

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16 out of 16 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 4.0 stars
give it a go

charlie from london, 12th June, 2006

unfairly slated, I found it to be great fun, it rolled along at a nice pace and had some brilliantly funny and genuinely dark moments. the brothers were likable, not to mention easy on the eye, and there were some beautiful sets- trees and castles and everything you need in a gothic fairytale. lots of people seemed to think the special effects were terrible, but I didn't really notice that, and as we learnt from george lucas: special effects do not a movie make. if you were put off by the reviews when it was at the cinema, go to it with an open mind and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

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Most recent reviews

Rated 4.0 stars
Classic Gilliam

Aspman from , 1st March, 2010

I can't understand those who didn't enjoy this, maybe you have a taste for Gilliam's style. I thought the story romped along very satisfactorily. You can pick out the images of the fairy tales from your childhood that Gilliam has woven into the fabric of the movie. The images are obviously amazing, it looks like Gilliam has been studying Tim Burton's films too. The performances from the actors are great too. Matt Damon's English accent is really rather good. I liked it a lot.

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Rated 3.0 stars
Beautiful but disappointing

TrogTrident from , 1st January, 2010

You can never call Terry Gilliam's work ugly and The Brothers Grimm is definitely a lovely looking film. Unfortunately the script is an ugly hotch-potch with some very annoying secondary characters that seem to have little relevance other than to irritate the audience. The main cast, in particular the brothers, are well acted and are fairly likeable. However, they have little to work with in a story that was probably a good idea to start with but has been twisted so far it's disappearing up its own backside.

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Rated 3.0 stars
Brothers Grimm

speedycritic from , 1st January, 2010

A typical Gilliam effort, in that there are elements of brilliance in the cinematography while the script and character development are lacking in depth. If only the studios would have a quiet word and suggest he withdraw from the director's chair and focus on what he undoubtedly has talent for - taking a vision and realising it through the lighting and visual effects, Luckily, the storyline was engaging enough to keep entertaining, which is not true of some of his other efforts,

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Rated 3.0 stars
Good adventure story!

A Customer from London, 8th November, 2009

Feel like sitting back in your lounge chair and being transported into a world unknown? That's how I felt about the Brothers Grimm - totally unrealistic but a great adventure that sucks you in. Has everything - comedy, romance, action.

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