The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

I went to see this film in a bargain theater in 1988 after its disastrous release. I fell asleep and missed virtually the entire film.

So after 22 years, I watched it on cable and realized that I probably was better off having a nap than sitting through this bloated, self-indulgent Gilliam extravaganza.

Gilliam obviously has a wonderful visual sense, but his need to always go over the top has doomed many of his film projects. He tries to blame the failure of MUNCHAUSEN on Dawn Steel, and he certainly did get a bad deal from Sony, but this movie would never have been a hit even with major PR behind it. It's too confusing and dark for kids, and too boring for adults. There's no linear sense, just set pieces strung together. The truly inspired bits would take about 20 minutes to watch.

I'm surprised that any studios ever green-light a Gilliam project, with his history of spending enormous sums with little return on investment. As far as I can tell, the last Gilliam movie that made any money was the excellent TWELVE MONKEYS in 1995.

If you want to watch some films by a director with a knack for engaging visuals, but who also knows how to make a plot work, try Jean-Pierre Jeunet.