DVD Review: The Brothers Grimm - Page 2

The cast is very much game for the proceedings (one could argue too much so, in the case of Pryce and Stormare), but the screenplay by Ehren Kruger doesn't seem to settle on what kind of a movie it should be. As with most Gilliam movies, there's an undercurrent of dark humor present along with wild visuals, but seemingly too much reliance on inconsistent CG effects.

Despite authentic recreations of early 19th-century life (shot entirely on location in the Czech Republic), the movie doesn't seem to follow much of a realistic outline for the characters themselves. In the lead parts, you have an American (Damon) and an Australian (Ledger) playing Germans with English accents. Still, even with their wavering accents, Damon and Ledger give amiable performances as the heroes, leaving the overacting to the villains.

This is an example where the individual pieces don't quite add up to a satisfying whole. But as far as scattershot films go, a Terry Gilliam one is worth more than most.
Grade: C+
(Rated PG-13 for violence, frightening sequences and brief suggestive material.)

Article Author: Mike Cullinan

Mike Cullinan is a journalist who clearly would have majored in film studies, had his college offered the program. Instead, he settled for a B.A. degree in communications, and just admires film in his free time. …

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