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IMDbPro

A Series of Unfortunate Events

  • 20042004
  • PGPG
  • 1h 48m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
208K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,559
913
Jim Carrey, Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Shelby Hoffman, and Kara Hoffman in A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
Home Video Trailer from Paramount Home Entertainment
Play trailer1:45
1 Video
99+ Photos
AdventureComedyFamily
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
208K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,559
913
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Brad Silberling
    • Writers
      • Robert Gordon(screenplay)
      • Daniel Handler(books "The Bad Beginning", "The Reptile Room" and "The Wide Window")
    • Stars
      • Jim Carrey
      • Jude Law(voice)
      • Meryl Streep
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Brad Silberling
    • Writers
      • Robert Gordon(screenplay)
      • Daniel Handler(books "The Bad Beginning", "The Reptile Room" and "The Wide Window")
    • Stars
      • Jim Carrey
      • Jude Law(voice)
      • Meryl Streep
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 659User reviews
    • 179Critic reviews
    • 62Metascore
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 10 wins & 28 nominations total

    Videos1

    Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
    Trailer 1:45
    Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

    Photos232

    Laurie MacDonald and Walter F. Parkes in A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
    Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Shelby Hoffman, and Kara Hoffman in A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
    Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Shelby Hoffman, and Kara Hoffman in A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
    Meryl Streep and Brad Silberling in A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
    Jim Carrey and Meryl Streep in A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
    Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep, Liam Aiken, and Emily Browning in A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
    Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Shelby Hoffman, and Kara Hoffman in A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
    Jim Carrey in A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
    Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Billy Connolly, Shelby Hoffman, and Kara Hoffman in A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
    Jim Carrey and Liam Aiken in A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
    Jim Carrey, Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Shelby Hoffman, and Kara Hoffman in A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
    Timothy Spall, Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Shelby Hoffman, and Kara Hoffman in A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jim Carrey
    Jim Carrey
    • Count Olaf
    Jude Law
    Jude Law
    • Lemony Snicket
    • (voice)
    Meryl Streep
    Meryl Streep
    • Aunt Josephine
    Liam Aiken
    Liam Aiken
    • Klaus
    Emily Browning
    Emily Browning
    • Violet
    Kara Hoffman
    Kara Hoffman
    • Sunny
    Shelby Hoffman
    Shelby Hoffman
    • Sunny
    Timothy Spall
    Timothy Spall
    • Mr. Poe
    Catherine O'Hara
    Catherine O'Hara
    • Justice Strauss
    Billy Connolly
    Billy Connolly
    • Uncle Monty
    Luis Guzmán
    Luis Guzmán
    • Bald Man
    • (as Luis Guzman)
    Jamie Harris
    Jamie Harris
    • Hook-Handed Man
    Craig Ferguson
    Craig Ferguson
    • Person of Indeterminate Gender
    Jennifer Coolidge
    Jennifer Coolidge
    • White Faced Woman
    Jane Adams
    Jane Adams
    • White Faced Woman
    Cedric the Entertainer
    Cedric the Entertainer
    • Constable
    Bob Clendenin
    Bob Clendenin
    • Grocery Clerk
    • (as Robert Clendenin)
    Lenny Clarke
    Lenny Clarke
    • Gruff Grocer
    • Director
      • Brad Silberling
    • Writers
      • Robert Gordon(screenplay)
      • Daniel Handler(books "The Bad Beginning", "The Reptile Room" and "The Wide Window")
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When the children first meet Count Olaf and Jim Carrey says, "Wait, give me that last line again" was not actually in the script. It was Carrey staying in character and wanting to try it again, but they kept the cameras rolling and felt it worked the way it happened.
    • Goofs
      When Count Olaf asks why the children haven't cooked him roast beef, he is standing on the ground in front of his acting troupe. In the next shot, about a second later, he is shown jumping down from the table (This is due to cutting an extended scene where Olaf gets onto the table and ruins the dinner they have prepared).
    • Quotes

      Count Olaf: I must say, you are a gloomy looking bunch. Why so glum?

      Klaus Baudelaire: ...Our parents just died.

      Count Olaf: Ah yes, of course. How very, very awful. Wait! Let me do that one more time. Give me the line again! Quickly, while it's fresh in my mind!

      Klaus Baudelaire: [uncertainly] Our parents just died?

      Count Olaf: [gasps dramatically]

      Sunny: [in baby talk] What a schmuck!

    • Crazy credits
      There is a credit for 'baby wrangler.'
    • Alternate versions
      When aired on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, lines with profanity such as "Damn it, this was such a good character" have the offending language removed. In this case the line simply becomes "this was such a good character." However, what is odd is the line "No one knows the precise cause of the Baudelaire fire. My colleagues and I have investigated as best we can. But all we've discovered is that the blaze was started from a great distance through the refraction and convergence of light. And within moments, the entire mansion was in flames." is removed entirely, which is odd since it's an important plot point. However the line " And as mysterious as the source of the blaze, other mysteries began to unfold before the children's eyes. Every family has its secrets, doors left unopened. But as Klaus now realized, the smallest discovery would send his mind reeling with questions." is kept intact.
    • Connections
      Featured in A Terrible Tragedy: Alarming Evidence from the Making of the Film - A Woeful World (2004)
    • Soundtracks
      Loverly Spring
      By Thomas Newman and Bill Bernstein

    User reviews659

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Much better than expected
    In the wake of Harry Potter the popular Lemony Snicket books have been rushed into production and considering the less than promising prospect of Brad Silberling directing and Jim Carrey starring, I didn't really hold out much hope. It turns out that the film is surprisingly good and apart from The Incredibles this was the only big budget Hollywood film I truly enjoyed this year.

    Like Harry Potter, the Lemony Snicket books appeal to adults as well as to children but they are darker, funnier and more eccentric, making them more of a cult than the mainstream success of the Harry Potter series.

    If you've read the books, you may miss the clever word play and you may feel that the two older children are miscast. Unlike in the books, the boy doesn't come across as particularly brainy and the girl looks just a bit too sexy as Violet, reminiscent of a teenage Anjelina Jolie. Still they are better than some of the child actors in the Harry Potter series.

    On a visual level the film is simply stunning. True, some of it is reminiscent of Tim Burton as both Burton and Daniel Handler are strongly influenced by the work of the writer and illustrator Edward Gor ey. The look of the film is a highly stylized mixture of Edwardian times and the 1950's and convincingly brings to life the parallel universe of the books, where death is ever present and where the whole world has conspired to make the Baudelaire children's life a misery.

    Folding books two and three into the storyline of the first one, the plot feels episodic but it stays consistently entertaining. Not being a Jim Carrey fan I was worried about his involvement (I still think Richard E. Grant would have been the perfect choice) but he nails and certainly looks the part of evil, failed thespian Count Olaf and thankfully he doesn't end up dominating the film, turning it into the Jim Carrey show.

    The section involving Meryl Streep's fearful Aunt Josephine is the best part of the film. Taking place against backdrops reminiscent of Masaki Kobayashi's stylish horror classic Kwaidan, Lake Lachrymose is as beautiful as it is nightmarish.

    Make sure to stay for the beautifully animated credit sequence.
    helpful•255
    61
    • Boris_Day
    • Dec 14, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 17, 2004 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Germany
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Desventuras em Série
      • Desventuras em Série Brasil
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
    • Filming locations
      • Wilmington, North Carolina, USA
    • Production companies
      • Paramount Pictures
      • Dreamworks Pictures
      • Nickelodeon Movies
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $140,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $118,634,549
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $30,061,756
      • Dec 19, 2004
    • Gross worldwide
      • $211,468,235
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 48 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital EX
      • DTS-ES
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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