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:

Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Monica Bellucci

4 wins & 5 nominations.

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

Widely known for their valiant acts of supernatural bravado, the bogus ghost-busters, Wilhelm and Jacob, or the Brothers Grimm, try their best to banish all sorts of evil in early-19th-century French-occupied Germany. For the right amount of money, the intrepid charlatans pretend to rid superstitious villages of its local ghouls or witches, until disturbing rumours about missing children in the small village of Marbaden start to spread like wildfire. Now--exposed by the French governor and Napoleon's general, Delatombe--the shameless duo of alleged paranormal fighters will have to prove their worth, and, for the first time in their entire career, do battle with a genuine malevolent force. However, can the utterly unprepared boys confront the real deal? Above all, can the Brothers Grimm clear their name?

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Plot Keywords:

germany | fairy tale | black comedy | gothic | surrealism | 

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Taglines:

No curse we can't reverse. No spell we can't break. No demon we can't exterminate.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Terry Gilliam has openly admitted that he only took on the film because he was being paid a lot for it.

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Goofs

In the forest of Marbaden, when Delatombe's valet pours his wine, the wine in the carafe is red, but the wine in Delatombe's glass is white.

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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

At the very start when the MGM lion does his usual roar, he starts as normal but then howls like a wolf.

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Connections

Referenced in Na plovárne: Na plovárne s Terry Gilliamem (2006)

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Soundtracks

Waltz #15 in A flat major ('Lullaby'), Op.39
(1865) (uncredited)
Written by Johannes Brahms

User Reviews

Did they make this up as they went along?

There have been some great films that were essentially written during filming. Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire" comes to mind, a visual & philosophical feast that was born out of 10 short poems. And of course the greatest comedy ever made, "This Is Spinal Tap" was basically improvised from start to finish. Here we have the opposite: a film which was probably carefully planned, but it feels like they're making it up because, oh LORDY, some of the plot points are barely recognizable as sensible.

The story jumps around, presumably referencing different Grimm's fairytales (wink, nod, move on) culminating in the worst story resolution I've ever seen since the Magical Mr. Mestopholes hopped on a giant tire and floated up to heaven. You've heard of the phrase "Deus ex machina"? Well, the Brothers Grimm takes that concept to the brink of Dumbass ex machina.

But that's not my biggest gripe. My biggest gripe is that the great Terry Gilliam ("Brazil", "The Fisher King", "12 Monkeys", "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas") directs this movie obviously trying his best to be Tim Burton and forcing Matt Damon to do his best Johnny Depp, but really he should've stuck with what he's good at: being Terry Gilliam.

I'll explain. Terry Gilliam's (good) movies are subtle; they breathe; they are drenched in sarcasm so deep that punchlines are not necessary. His violence is disturbing in a meaningful way, much like Tarantino does in films like "Pulp Fiction", making us laugh at the horror not the slapstick. Here we get slapstick, but with gross stuff. Big difference. If this is indeed a "fairytale for adults", then the adults for whom it's intended are probably in need of a good fart joke to cap the night.

Everyone is trying too hard to be funny (with the exception of Heath Ledger who does a great job as the sole "straight man" in this barrage of silly). And Matt Damon, don't get me wrong, is a great actor and very funny, but not in the straight faced Johnny Depp way that Gilliam was obviously coaching him to do.

The result is a weird mix of "The Three Stooges" and some hyper violent videogame, all played by a cast of great actors who should've really been allowed to be themselves rather than playing clowns. Add to the mix the aforementioned scotch taped plot, and you have yourself a bona fide waste of incredible talent.

Watch Tim Burton/Johnny Depp in "Sleepy Hollow" instead. I guarantee you that's what Gilliam was trying hard to recreate, but there's only so much you can do with a choppy, silly plot line like we have here. To any Terry Gilliam fans reading this, you might want to run away from this film. Let's just sorta sweep it under the rug like it never happened, sort of like the Star Wars Christmas Special.

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:

The Brothers Grimm

Filming Locations:

Czech Republic

Box Office

Budget:

$88,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,093,000, 28 August 2005

Gross USA:

$37,916,267

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$105,316,267

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1