The Brothers Grimm is a one of the last couple of summer movies that I’ve been looking forward to. The story concept lends itself to almost endless possibilities and with Terry Gilliam involved I think almost anyone could be forgiven for going into the theater with high expectations.
Sadly, the early reviews are coming in for The Brothers Grimm and they’re leaning rather strongly towards the negative side. A number of the critics are actually especially hard on Gilliam himself. A few positive reviews here and there, but the majority of them are negative. Here’s what some of them have to say:
“Gilliam’s film is trapped somewhere between fable and comedy. It’s as if he is so entranced by his own visual inventiveness that he completely loses sight of his storytelling.”
Frank Houston, PALM BEACH DAILY NEWS“Mr. Gilliam has no clear idea what he’s doing, so the movie is nothing more than noise, costumes and disjointed special effects that do not make an acceptable substitute for the sense of tempo the rest of the film sorely lacks.”
Rex Reed, NEW YORK OBSERVER“…the most nakedly commercial and impersonal film that Gilliam’s ever made.”
Moriarty, AIN’T IT COOL MOVIE REVIEWS“…a ragged, sloppy patchwork quilt –but there’s magic in it. The movie is a compromised, semi-mangled visit to a very special place.”
Sean Burns, PHILADELPHIA WEEKLY
Hmmm… not really what I was hoping to hear. As of this moment, The Brothers Grimm are carrying a 38% on Rotten Tomatoes. Not the worst rating I’ve seen… but certainly bad enough. Look for my review on Monday.
I found the kitten bit…as the best combination of comedy and horror. I laughed and screamed, and turned away and said “ohmygod” with a chuckle and nauseus grin all at the same time. A suberb mix of Horror and Haha! In fact the whole film abounds in this sort of thing. I do admit that it lacks some of the glory of Time Bandits, or even Munchausen, but it also is a tremendously great shocker comedy…I just didn’t think the ending quite dark enough for Gilliam…in fact..despite what critics have said..the movie seemed destined for a darker tone. To me the comedy is part of a proud absurd heritage, that Gilliam has been dishing out for years, and screams of Ionesco and Beckett. I’ll be owning this one.
I enjoyed the movie overall. I did think there were two scenes of totally unnecessary and pointless cruelty to animals, one involving a kitten that walks into the scene and the other which they set fire to horses back ends to get them to run away. I don’t find this entertainment in the least.
Just a quick comment to damen. As great as 12 Monkeys and Fischer King was, in my opinion Nothing comes close to Brazil, by far his best film.
Yeah, critics have always been tough on Gilliam, nothing earth shattering about that bit of news.
I screened the movie last night, and for the most part, I liked it. I didn’t read the majority of critic’s reviews beforehand, though I was aware of AICN blasting of scripter Ehren Krueger, which I think was a bit uncalled for. You can’t really call Krueger on the carpet and say “his films” because they aren’t his “films”. On his better known projects in the past, he’s usually hired as a script doctor, and in addition, AICN takes out the director, producers and studio out of the mix. I don’t mind sites like AICN reviewing films or bringing films to the public’s attention. I do mind critiques on scripts as it may or may not be the shooting script, and it those kinds of reviews give away too much.
As for the Weinsteins, I never liked the way Dimension Films, the genre arm of Miramax, handled thier film slates in the past. There has always been a pattern of interference with production (Mimic) release dates (Shaolin Soccer) and making brainless sequels, desconstructing tent poles in the process (Halloween films, Hellraiser) so reports of them fiddling around with Gilliam’s film isn’t a surprise. But Gilliam has been known to be excessive when excess isn’t warranted, and anyone who doesn’t see eye to eye with him is the enemy.
To imply this a bad movie because Gilliam didn’t co-write it is simply absurd. If you really wanted to be technical, his best two films were in fact, the two films he didn’t write- 12 Monkeys and The Fisher King. After seeing ‘Grimm’, I’m led to think that Gilliam did a small rewrite on Kruger’s work but went uncredited.
You see, there are scenes in the film which are Gilliam’s style of excess, scenes by actors that are Monty Python-esque (score one with the critics- spot on) at times, as that slapstick comedy wasn’t needed in some areas, and just simply out of place in others.
But the the majority of the film I did enjoy, and I really liked both Heath Ledger (especially Heath Ledger in this film) and Matt Damon. I also liked Lena Headey as well. Except for the werewolf, the effects were really well done, the moving trees, this gag with a horse and a spiderweb, and belive it or not, the Gingerbread Man sequence.
When all is said and done, I think the audience will forgive some of this and just have a good time with it. It might even have a decent opening- on the other hand, the studio isn’t really promoting it all that well. I think it has a chance to crack the box office top five, maybe in the top three.
I haven’t seen it, but based on everything I’ve been reading, this sounds like a HUGE disappointment. The basic story idea sounds solid and cool as hell, especially with Terry Gilliam at the helm. But it just didn’t work out in the end. Oh well.
Like someone on AICN noticed, the problem with this movie seems to be the script. If you have a look on imdb, Gilliam (co)wrote the scripts to basically all his movies (except for 12 Monkeys). The script for Brothers Grimm is written by Ehren Krueger “the very definition of the middle of the road screenwriter. Never good, nor bad, his films always meander their way through good ideas and leave you wondering what would happen if someone with real talent had tackled the script” (to quote an AICN reviewer with whom I tottaly agree). Also, the Weinsteins have actively implicated themselves in the creation of the movie and reportedly clashed with the director on several points. (And I agree with John, it’s their money, so it’s their right to turn the movie into crap if they want to).
So I have rather low expectations for Brothers Grimm. It will probably be a so-so movie, not too good and not terrible either. I don’t consider it a true Gilliam movie, due to the bad starting point (the Krueger script) and the creative interferences of the Weinsteins. I am rather looking forward to his other film, Tideland, which he directed and co-wrote out of Hollywood (it’s a Canada/UK co-production). And if you wanna judge Gilliam, do it for Tideland, not for Brothers Grimm – the latter it’s just partially his movie.
When it comes to a Terry Gillium film, I really don’t care what the critics say.
To me Gillium is like Kubrick. You do not always get the film on the first pass. And like Kubrick, there is never a middle ground when it comes to Gillium’s films. You either love them or hate them. I will make up my own mind on this one, thank you very much!!!
I don’t care what the critics say I’m going to see it anyway. Sometimes I think critics and people just don’t get these types of movies. I could totally be wrong, and will find out for myself when I go see it.
John, that is really to bad. Although I normally wait to pass judgment myself and not let the critics run my life, but as I get older I find myself respecting the bastards. I still have high hopes for this movie. I have gone on the record a number of time stating that I feel this duo will be a good one. If the story is flawed and the film is saturated with CGI and flashy effects, I still feel that these boys will have great on screne chemistry.
Variety lambasted it too. Did Gilliam piss off the critics somehow, did he sell out and hardcore fans are mad, or is it really just terrible? I’m seeing it anyway. I thought the previews looked great.