Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)

When a massive fire kills their parents, three children are delivered to the custody of cousin and stage actor Count Olaf, who is secretly plotting to steal their parents' vast fortune.

Director:

Brad Silberling

Writers:

Robert Gordon (screenplay), Daniel Handler (books)

Stars:

Jim Carrey, Liam Aiken, Jude Law

Won 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jim Carrey	...	Count Olaf
Liam Aiken	...	Klaus
Emily Browning	...	Violet
Kara Hoffman	...	Sunny
Shelby Hoffman	...	Sunny
Jude Law	...	Lemony Snicket (voice)
Timothy Spall	...	Mr. Poe
Catherine O'Hara	...	Justice Strauss
Billy Connolly	...	Uncle Monty
Meryl Streep	...	Aunt Josephine
Luis Guzmán	...	Bald Man (as Luis Guzman)
Jamie Harris	...	Hook-Handed Man
Craig Ferguson	...	Person of Indeterminate Gender
Jennifer Coolidge	...	White Faced Woman
Jane Adams	...	White Faced Woman

Storyline

Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire are three intelligent young children who receive terrible news that their parents have died in a fire and have left them an enormous fortune not to be used until the eldest child is of age. When they are sent to live with Count Olaf, a greedy distant relative, they soon learn he is trying to steal their fortune for himself.

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Plot Keywords:

count | fire | orphan | children | death | 

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Taglines:

This Holiday, Christmas Cheer takes a break.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements, scary situations and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Paramount Pictures - Count Olaf site

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 December 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lemony Snicket

Filming Locations:

Downey Studios - 12214 Lakewood Boulevard, Downey, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$140,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$361,125 (Japan) (6 May 2005)

Gross:

$1,918,915 (Japan) (13 May 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX DTS-ES

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Haley Hudson was considered for the role of Violet.

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Goofs

When Klaus shows the book "Inheritance Law and You" to Violet, he is holding the head of the camel mask. When he holds the book up, the mask is right behind him.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lemony Snicket: [the Littlest Elf has just come to an abrupt halt] I'm sorry to say that this is not the movie you will be watching. The movie you are about to see is extremely unpleasant. If you wish to see a film about a happy little elf, I'm sure there is still plenty of seating in theatre number two. However, if you like stories about clever and reasonably attractive orphans, suspicious fires, carnivorous leeches, Italian food and secret organizations, then stay, as I retrace each and every one...

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Crazy Credits

There is a credit for 'baby wrangler'.

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Connections

Spoofed in Arthur: The Squirrels/Fern & Persimmony Glitchet (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Loverly Spring"
By Thomas Newman and Bill Bernstein

User Reviews

Quality movie, unless you're a die-hard fan of the books

I first heard of these books when I saw my younger brother reading them. I got curious and when I saw they were making a movie was sure to read the first three before seeing it. Right off the bat, I can tell you that if you are a completely possessive fan of these books you might be rather disappointed by this movie. The movie condenses books "The Bad Beginning," "The Reptile Room," and "The Wide Window" by slicing the first book in half and placing the other two inside of it, like a sandwich. Of course in order for this to be possible the story has to change to make it work, so some elements are not factual. Combine this with Snicket's usually clever details in the book having to be cut down and very loyal fans are going to be disappointed. The movie also adds in a subplot that the first three books do not possess, but that the later ones (according to my brother) do, so I was a bit bothered by having that element ruined if i choose to read more of the series. I, however, understand the difference between books and movies, and think that on the whole they succeeded in keeping the tone and uniqueness of this series. Carrey as Olaf is wonderful and adds something to a character that seems to be rather dry in the books and the children are believable and easy to sympathize with. While humor was scarce, the tone of the books is more clever than humorous anyway. Overall my only issues are plot-wise and how this creates a choppy feel to the film, but I don't know of a way it could have been done better. The movie was well done with(as many are saying) excellent scenery, costumes, etc., yet nothing made this film completely amazing. It is however, worth the time and money and one should definitely read the books. ~Steven C