The Brothers Grimm (2005)
Magic beans don’t work! They don’t bring people back to life!
You may have noticed a number of my reviews have starred Heath Ledger. Oddly enough I didn’t realize this at first. When Ledger died back in January, I refused to watch any of his previous work for months. It hurt to think about someone so young being torn away from their family too soon, and for such a promising actor to be lost just as he was starting to fulfill his potential. The Dark Knight changed that. I was nervous going in about whether or not I’d be able to leave real life behind at the door, but it turned out to be easy. Between the heavy makeup, the different accent and the acute sociopathic behavior, I saw very little of Heath Ledger the person in that role. Somehow, that translated into a subconscious desire to revisit familiar territory and as I had recently purchased a Blu-Ray player I found some of my early purchases to be Heath Ledger films. Don’t worry. Now that I’m aware of this trend, I won’t be continuing it in this blog.
The Brothers Grimm is definitely a Terry Gilliam film, and a viewer’s reaction to it will depend very much upon their tolerance or affection for that director. Gilliam can be brilliant — Brazil and Twelve Monkeys come readily to mind – but he can also be strange and quirky. The Brothers Grimm falls squarely into both camps. There are moments that I thought were quite marvelous, but others when I wondered if all involved were smoking illegal substances.
The movie stars Matt Damon and Heath Ledger as the titular brothers with Damon playing the older Wilhelm and Ledger playing Jacob. They travel around the countryside offering their services as demon-exterminators…sort of nineteenth century Ghostbusters, complete with humorous quips. In reality, they’re frauds, who set up a haunting before “exterminating” it. Suddenly, they are put in a situation where they are forced to deal with real supernatural forces which strangely resemble the old stories Jacob loves to collect and write down in his journals.
This plot has little to do with the historic figures of the Brothers Grimm and more to do with the tales they are famous for collecting. The more familiar a viewer is with those tales the more they will enjoy the story. Allusions are made to Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White and other famous fairy tales. If you know the Grimm versions, you know that they can be…well…grim. These versions are scarier and bloodier, especially when compared to the Disney cartoons most kids are familiar with these days. We are reminded here that part of the purpose of the originals was to teach children life lessons, in part by scaring them to death.
This brings me to my biggest complaint about this film. It can never decide whether it wants to be dark and scary or downright silly. Don’t get me wrong. I love when scary and funny can be combined effectively: Buffy the Vampire Slayer did it regularly. Unfortunately, it does not work as well here. To me, the darker, more serious parts of the movie worked, but the comedic elements came off as intrusive and annoying most of the time.
The production design, lighting, and CGI deserve special mention. They combine to create an astounding world. The woods in particular are perfect: beautifully lit, creepy, and magical. This was easily one of the most breath-taking Blu-Rays that I have seen yet. The detail and the colors of the transfer are mesmerizing. It truly works to cast a spell over you – until someone tries to be funny.
What do you think? Does this movie work as a fairy tale? What’s your favorite Terry Gilliam movie? Or, Heath Ledger film?
Ledger ….. never was really a fan. He was decent in The patriot w/ Gibson. As far as The Dark Knight goes he gave nicholson a run for his money, very impressed with his performance as the joker. But as far as i am concerned jack is the man……. ” this town needs an enema “. Come on that is good stuff.
Jack Nicholson has long been a force of nature; of that, there is no doubt. His Joker didn’t scare me the way that Ledger’s ultimately did, though. As I said, it was a subtly crafted screenplay that allowed the Joker to gain menace in a gradual but steady way.
I’ve followed Heath Ledger since “Ten Things I Hate About You.” I haven’t watched all of his films, but I was generally favorably impressed by him. Recently, though, he was maturing as an actor and really starting to hit his stride. That’s what upset me about his death, I think. He was just starting to reach a new level in his craft, but now we’ll never know what he would have done.