There is Klaus, who loves to read, and is able to retain all the information he gets from books. Then there is baby Sunny, who has two teeth, and can bite anything. They always find her hanging from the table. She speaks in baby talk, and we get subtitles to translate what she says. Their parents die in a fire, and the banker Mr. Poe brings the children to live with their closet relative, and it's their parents third cousin four times removed or their fourth cousin three times removed. Whichever order, their relative is Count Olaf, a tall, actor with the tatoo of an eye on his ankle. He makes the children do chores, and cook roast beef dinners for his acting group, but his intentions are to kill the children and collect the fortune that their parents left behind. He tries to kill them, fails, and they get sent to live with their Uncle Monty, who is going to bring them on a trip to Peru, an animal lover with snakes, in cages, all over his house. Eventually they are sent to live with their safety freak Aunt Josephine, who doesn't like to open door with the knobs because she is scared that they will shatter and pieces will go into you eyes, and she doesn't like to cook things on the stove because she's scared that it'll blow up, so she feeds herself and the children cold cucumber soup. No matter where they go, they are always persued by Count Olaf, always in a different disguise, with his acting group not far behind, always with a clever trick up his sleeve to get that money.
Besides Jim Carrey, "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" has some all star cast members. People that you see all the time, but don't know their names. There is Catherine O'Hara as Olaf's neighbor. Cedric the Entertainer as a police officer. Olaf's theatre group includes Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Adams, Luis Guzmen, and Craig Ferguson. These names may not mean anything, but if you see the movie, you'll recongize them right away. The music is something else to see. Thomas Newmen is a brilliant composer. He did the music for one of my favorite movies, "American Beauty." His music gives such a gloomy feel, but you can't help but smile at it's genius. Stay for closing credits and listen, and you'll fall in love. I have been trying to rack my brain figuring out who would have made a better Count Olaf, but I can't think of any. Carrey also brings to much comedy to the roll, something that takes away much of the seriousness to the character. Olaf is not a nice person. He lies, cheats, steals, and kills to get his way, and you don't use those characteristics when you think about Jim Carrey.
Every single adult in this move, except for Count Olaf, is plain stupid. They just don't listen, which is a big problem in life. It's ironic that the children are always right, and the adults roll their eyes. What's so great about the film, is that Count Olaf uses the stupidity of these adults for his own benefit. Everything is connected to everything else. When Olaf is disguised, a person like you and me can see right through him, but not these characters. If they have any suspision that he is an imposter, they think that he is somebody completely different. It's darkly comic, and disturbing to think something like that could really happen. "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" is a very good movie, aside from Carrey's unwantedness. He simply was not right for the role. Maybe a John Malkovich type would have fit better. It's enough to bypass that performance, and just let the visuals wash all over you. I would see a sequal, because this movie doesn't tie up all the lose ends, and I'm glad that they are different from the book seris, otherwise, we would all know exactly how it ends, or if it doesn't end. Lemony Snicket was with the voice of Jude Law, as the 2004 Jude Law film festival concludes. This year alone, he's in "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," "I Heart Huckabees," "Alfie," "Closer," "Lemony Snicket," and "The Aviator," and he has become one of my favorite actors. His narration is perfect for this film, and his addition if truely wanted. Not one of the best films of the year, but certainly one of the most entertaining.
ENJOY!
rated PG for thematic elements, scary situations and brief language.
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