The Brothers Grimm (2005)

Will and Jake Grimm are traveling con-artists who encounter a genuine fairy-tale curse which requires true courage instead of their usual bogus exorcisms.

Director:

Terry Gilliam

Writer:

Ehren Kruger

Stars:

Petr Ratimec, Matt Damon, Heath Ledger

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Petr Ratimec	...	Young Will
Barbora Lukesová	...	Mother Grimm (as Barbara Lukesova)
Anna Rust	...	Sister Grimm
Jeremy Robson	...	Young Jacob
Matt Damon	...	Wilhelm Grimm
Heath Ledger	...	Jacob Grimm
Radim Kalvoda	...	Gendarme
Martin Hofmann	...	Gendarme
Josef Pepa Nos	...	German War Veteran
Harry Gilliam	...	Stable Boy
Miroslav Táborský	...	Old Miller
Roger Ashton-Griffiths	...	Mayor
Marika Sarah Procházková	...	Miller's Daughter (as Marika Prochazkova)
Mackenzie Crook	...	Hidlick
Richard Ridings	...	Bunst

Storyline

Folklore collectors and con artists, Jake and Will Grimm, travel from village to village pretending to protect townsfolk from enchanted creatures and performing exorcisms. They are put to the test, however, when they encounter a real magical curse in a haunted forest with real magical beings, requiring genuine courage.

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Plot Keywords:

village | exorcism | curse | con artist | girl | 

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Taglines:

And They Lived Happily Ever After

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, frightening sequences and brief suggestive material

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Czech Republic UK

Language:

English French German Italian

Release Date:

26 August 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los hermanos Grimm

Filming Locations:

Ledec nad Sázavou, Czech Republic

Box Office

Budget:

$88,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$286,812 (South Africa) (6 January 2006)

Gross:

$513,772 (South Africa) (20 January 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dimension Films, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Mosaic Media Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Matt Damon and Heath Ledger were originally cast in opposite roles. They petitioned and switched their roles.

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Goofs

Brahms' Lullaby is heard throughout the movie, both in the soundtrack and whistled by the characters. Brahms was born in 1833, decades after the movie takes place.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sister Grimm: Mama, it's so cold.
Mother Grimm: It's very, very cold. Will. Put another log on the fire, lad.
Young Will: There isn't any more firewood, Mama.

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Crazy Credits

After the credits, a howling wolf can be heard over the Dimension Films tiger logo stylized to look a bit like the MGM roaring lion.

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Connections

Featured in The Blockbuster Buster: Brothers Grimm (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Cacurica Dances"
Performed by Taraf de Haidouks
Written by Sapo Perapaskero
Published by Les Editions de la Bascule / Strictly Confidential o.b.a. Confidence (BMI)
From the album "Band of Gypsies"
(p) 2001 Crammed Discs

User Reviews

not bad

Well, my friends, I have just returned from the earliest possible showing of "Brothers Grimm" in my area, and I can assure you it was well worth getting up a few hours earlier than usual to watch. However, I would caution anyone who doesn't like Terry Gilliam's work, Matt Damon and Heath Ledger, or the REAL brothers Grimms' stories that this is not your average fantasy. The story is set in french-occupied Germany in the 1700s, a real time in which real people actually lived. Even some of the magical aspects of the story are explained by real events (I won't spoil it for you). So quite a bit of the plot deals with the realities of the day and age along with the fantastical aspects of the forest and its inhabitants.

That being said, the story also deals with the opposite side of unreality-- the dark and unnaturally gruesome. This is where I think the writer hit on a brilliant point; while the real brothers' stories have happy endings and some lighthearted moments, most if not all of their stories involve some degree of blood and gore. My hat is off to Ehren Kruger for being true to that aspect of their work.

The only aspects of this movie I disliked were the unresolved ending (which I won't spoil, either) and some of the acting. Lena Headey's performance did not impress me, but it could just be lack of material to work with (a very overdone character) and the fact that I've never seen any of her other work. Matt Damon is interesting to watch as usual. Peter Stormare and Jonathan Pryce are wacky to the point of annoyance as an Italian torture specialist and a French general. The only truly wonderful performance, however, is that of Mr. Ledger, whose bumbling, scholarly, tag-along Jacob was both a sympathetic character and a side we rarely see from this multi-talented actor.

This is not a movie for everyone (I wouldn't bring children with the tendency for nightmares or irrational fears, for example). It's not a movie you'll learn from or probably want to see hundreds of times. But for the moviegoer looking for beautiful cinematography, a few good laughs, and a fairly suspenseful story, look no further.