The Brothers Grimm (2005)

Number Rolled: 76

Movie Name/Year: The Brothers Grimm (2005)

Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Length: 118 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Production Companies: Dimension Films, MGM, Mosaic Media Group, Reforma Films, Atlas Entertainment, Summit Entertainment, The Weinstein Company

Executive Producer: Jonathan Gordon, Chris McGurk, Andrew Rona, John D. Schofield, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein

Director: Terry Gilliam

Writer: Ehren Kruger

Actors: Petr Ratimec, Barbora Lukesova, Anna Rust, Jeremy Robson, Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Harry Gilliam, Mackenzie Crook, Richard Ridings, Peter Stormare, Jonathan Pryce, Laura Greenwood, Lena Headey, Tomas Hanak, Monica Bellucci

Selina’s Point of View:

The Grimm brothers lost their sister at an early age. All because Jacob believed in magic and fairy tales. Years later, the brothers take their jaded beliefs into business. They destroy fake supernatural evils for a price.

I wanted to see this film when it came out, but I never got around to it. I’m sorry about that, because I think it would have been better in the early 2000s. In the decade between then and now, there’ve been a lot of technological advances that made graphics better and HD did no favors to this film.

Graphics aside, the story was interesting and the acting was pretty good. I felt like Peter Stormare (The Blacklist, Penguins of Madagascar, 22 Jump Street) was a bit over the top, but Matt Damon (Interstellar, Happy Feet Two, Good Will Hunting), Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain, The Patriot, 10 Thing I Hate About You), Lena Headey (Zipper, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Dredd) and Monica Bellucci (The Whistleblower, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Shoot ‘Em Up) made up for it.

In the end, I wish I’d liked this film more. Unfortunately, it did very little for me. If I want to watch this kind of film, I’ll watch Van Helsing (2004).

Cat’s Point of View:

I feel I must begin with an admission that I am a Monty Python geek. The Brothers Grimm’s director, Terry Gilliam (Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Tideland), happens to be the only US-born original member of that group.

Where am I going with this random trivia? The second part of my admission is that I often watch projects involving the Python boys through fandom-colored glasses. I begin my viewing with an expectation of being thoroughly entertained, and they rarely disappoint.

I have seen this film before, around the time it was released. I remembered it fondly, and was happy to re-watch.

 

This tale of con-artists forced to finally face the nightmare of real magic afoot in the world was a fun ride. The balance of comedy with the darkness on the brothers’ path to redemption keeps the tale from being too heavy-handed.

Matt Damon (The Bourne Ultimatum, The Monuments Men, Elysium) captures well the angst of a brother carrying around the ghost of his deceased sister. The late Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight, A Knight's Tale, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus) was also an excellent casting to embody the spirit of the unforgiven dreamer.

I also enjoyed Lena Headey’s (Game of Thrones, 300, The Purge) strong character.  Her personal tale was one of pain and loss, and she captured that as well as embracing the lighter side. Grandmother Frog was also a nice transition for Damon’s brother to show his character growth.

As a side note, fans of Game of Thrones (2011-) and The Pirates of the Caribbean (2003-) franchise might recognize some familiar faces in the supporting cast.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 38%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 39%

Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 4.1/5

Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 2.5/5

Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 4.2/5

Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 4/5

Movie Trailer: