Gilliam Lite
THE BROTHERS GRIMM

RATING: C

Starring Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Peter Stormare, Lena Headey, Jonathan Pryce, Tomas Hanak, Julian Bleach, Mackenzie Crook, Richard Ridings and Monica Bellucci. Music by Dario Marianelli, Costume Designers Gabriella Pescucci, and Carlo Poggioli, Edited by Lesley Walker, Production Designer Guy Hendrix Dyas, Director of Photography Newton Thomas Sigel, Executive Producers Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Jonathan Gordon, Andrew Rona, Produced by Charles Roven, Daniel Bobker, Written by Ehren Kruger, Directed by Terry Gilliam.

Rated PG-13, Running Time 118 mins., 1.85 to 1 Academy Standard Aspect Ratio.

Seven years is a rather large gap for celebrated auteur Terry Gilliam to make between films. The digital age is truly upon us, cinema has become more commercialized and "fairytales for adults", Gilliam's specialty, aren't drawing audiences to theaters like they used to. Yet for those who truly admire Gilliam's style, his stamina for fighting the system and realizing his vision, "The Brothers Grimm" may initially appear as a return to form, but sadly it’s the opposite. Gilliam is providing his services as a "hired gun", working with a script by horror hack writer Ehren Kruger and the producing team of the Weinstein Brothers, who would more than enjoy going head to head against Gilliam the artist (which is rumored to have actually happened.) With Gilliam's history of battling studios and surviving the final product should be a masterpiece worthy of his previous efforts, but instead the end result wallows in mediocrity.

Set in 19th century Germany, heartthrobs Matt Damon and Heath Ledger are almost perfectly cast as brothers Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, who make a living out of conning people. They travel from one small town to another, playing on villager’s superstitions by claiming only they can destroy the witches, demons and poltergeists that plague them. If only they could see that it's all an elaborate ruse, perpetrated by the brothers themselves. Eventually the jig is up and they are exposed by French military officer Jonathan Pryce who offers to spare their lives if they investigate strange occurrences in a forest near another small town.

Children have mysteriously disappeared into the dark forest near the town of Marbadan and as the brothers soon discover it is anything but enchanted. The forest is plagued by an ancient curse and the spirit of a long forgotten Queen who sought to become immortal. Soon the brothers encounter everything from Italian torture expert Peter Stormare, attacking tree limbs and red hooded woodcutter Lena Headey who is being stalked by a bipedal werewolf that may be her father. To fantasy writer Jacob it's all absolutely real and as history proves, inspiring, but to cynical Wilhelm, it’s a fantastic con and he wants to know how its perpetrators pulled it off. Of course we the audience know its all magic and that beautiful mirror queen Monica Bellucci is no illusion. To save the children, the brothers must struggle to keep from falling under her spell, but who wouldn't want one of the world’s most beautiful women to suck out their soul?

The idea of following the Brothers Grimm through a series of misadventures that were the inspiration for their stories is an interesting concept and it’s fairly obvious why Gilliam chose to tackle it. But what could have been simple has been complicated by Ehren Kruger's generic screenplay. Whether Gilliam folded under studio pressure or just followed the outline of Kruger's story is a mystery, but the result is a Terry Gilliam film that feels as if it was directed by "Van Helsing" scribe Stephen Sommers. Damon and Ledger perfectly fit into their accents and the period, Stomare, though annoying at times, appears to be channeling an old Monty Python routine and Headey uses more than just her striking features to prove she's no damsel in distress. The cast are handsomely packaged, but it’s the story that is rather lacking. Those hoping to see real conflict will find that villainess Bellucci has been given limited screen time and the real antagonism or menace comes from the film’s expertly handled production design and cinematography.

There are a few moments in "The Brothers Grimm" where one can almost feel Gilliam the puppeteer pulling the strings: filth ridden villagers and a Pythonesque screaming witch-hag, a possessed horse with flies swarming from its mouth that swallows a child whole and probably the most bizarre, demonic gingerbread man ever committed to film. This is no "Shrek", but in today's day and age, the comparisons are inevitable. What's interesting is that despite the abundance of visual wonders it appears as if Gilliam has used little CGI – choosing to stay close to the "smoke and mirrors" techniques that made his films so magical and yet truthful. One can almost hear the Gilliam of yesterday laughing at his older counterpart over the fact that he may have sold out. Yet even though the film fails to meet the expectations of Gilliam's fans it's laced with the essence of his wry humor raising the question: "Has he sold out at all?" Before The Brother's Grimm's post-production phase, Gilliam took a detour and made the upcoming children's film "Tideland", so his return to moviemaking is no brief stint. Although we don't get the same Gilliam that has left an enlightening and dramatic impact on most fantasy buffs, Gilliam lite is better than no Gilliam at all.