Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
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Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (more)
Directed by:
Brad SilberlingScreenplay:
Robert GordonCinematography:
Emmanuel LubezkiComposer:
Thomas NewmanCast:
Jim Carrey, Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Kara Hoffman, Shelby Hoffman, Jude Law, Timothy Spall, Catherine O'Hara, Billy Connolly, Meryl Streep, Luis Guzmán (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
After Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire's parents perish in a terrible fire, they are placed in the care of their uncle, Count Olaf (Jim Carrey), an evil fiend who is plotting to kill them and seize their fortune. The orphans travel from guardian to guardian, including herpetologist Montgomery Montgomery (Billy Connolly) and grammar-wise Aunt Josephine Anwhistle (Streep), but the worst guardian of all is Count Olaf. Plotting to steal the childrenís fortune, Olaf disguises himself as his assistant Stephano and ship captain Julio Sham and keeps popping up in the strangest places. Just when the Baudelaires think things are getting better, something unfortunate happens! (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (10)
If the story were overall a bit more polished and didn't have an ending that unnecessarily tries for emotions that simply aren't there, it would be an incredibly good film. It has its poetry, its charm, and it's incredibly entertaining, thanks in part to Carrey, who showcases himself as a great chameleon, but that's also well-known about him. It’s pleasant, but it's missing a little something extra to make it perfect.
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It started quite subtly, and at first, I thought that this kind of film was not for me... but after quite a big delay I took the test and it turned out very well. I fell in love with the entire world of Lemony Snicket, and I spent the second half of last year hunting down the entire "Unfortunate Events" book series. While reading the first four books, I watched the movie to review over and over again so as to make my experience comprehensive... :) I'm now on the tenth volume and they’re getting bigger, so the last four books will be the same as the first eight. I'm both impatient and excited for each new page and only regret that there won't be more films. Or that the authors didn't opt for an adaptation made for TV and then for DVD. I mean, Esmé would have to be something irresistible, with her love for everything that happens to by flying. :) Or the triplets and other spicy stuff that didn't fit in the film. This way, it seems like the orphans from the series are just suffering under more and more guardians, but readers know that this is just the beginning. Jim Carrey was a good Count Olaf, but not unattainable, or he would have had to force them to make a sequel. I don't fault the film at all because the concept of combining the first three short books and then combining them into one general narrative is a good one. This would also work very well with other Baudelaire adventures. "The Miserable Mill" could have been shortened like the stay at Uncle Monty's, the Prufrock Preparatory School could have gone to great lengths to bring the triplets onto the scene, and then the endless shots in the elevator shaft... It would be nice, even the binoculars would fit in there for better order. Essentially, it’s too bad that Auntie Jo wasn't cast with someone younger and that there wasn't even a brief visit to the movie theater after a whole day at the terrarium. It can't be helped. I've fallen for the series.
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This is great. Jim Carrey is really good here. You don't often see a prince like this Count Olaf. I mean, it is not seen especially today - in the (not only) crazy comedies of the sixties, seventies and eighties we would certainly find a few "good guys" like him. Praise also goes to Brad Silberling, because the film is sensational, it doesn't get boring and looks perfect, the performances of all three children were also magical, Meryl Strep did not disappoint either.... Oh, and Dustin Hoffman's barking was such a treat. Four and a bit, I laughed from start to finish.
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Jim Carrey's acting tour de force was perhaps a little too annoying at times, but the child actors were good, Sunny had funny "comments" at times. Meryl Streep, who had a phobia of just about everything, again delighted in her small role. The film offers a solid plot, decent visual effects (the house on the cliff, the leeches) and make-up effects (Carrey).
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Like the more recent film adaptation The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events suffers from a fairly similar problem, which is a fairly strong connection to the book. Whatever Lemony Snicket wrote and how he wanted, it is certain that this "revival of letters" will be enjoyed more by readers who are likely more familiar with the characters and, above all, the plot. The story, which seems to have been quite insensitively trimmed, unfolds at a fast pace, and yet while perceiving it, I occasionally had to bridge quite a few "gaps" with my own imagination. However, the overall audiovisual form should not be dismissed, as the artists truly indulged themselves, especially with the Victorian buildings, in a somewhat decadently unfolding directorial approach (likely inspired by the book since the main characters are named the Baudelaires). Behind them, the visual effects team prepared a very lavish set design that seems to be straight out of The Addams Family. With Barry Sonnenfeld as the executive producer, it all makes sense. And the actors themselves are certainly not to be condemned, especially the trio of young Baudelaires, of whom little Sunny is absolutely perfect. Of course, Jim Carrey, with his mastery of facial expressions and physicality, once again managed to win the audience over to his side. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is a pleasant watch, but the lack of a logically unfolding storyline is detrimental.
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Gallery (131)
Photo © Paramount Pictures / DreamWorks Distribution LLC
![Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events - Photos - Shelby Hoffman, Emily Browning, Liam Aiken, Jim Carrey](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/000/343/343122_f6caf2.jpg)
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