Length: 1 hour, 53 minutes
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Website: http://www.unfortunateeventsmovie.com/intro.html
Release Date: 2004-12-17
Cast: Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep, Emily Browning, Kara Hoffman, Liam Aiken
Director: Brad Silberling
Screenwriter: Robert Gordon
WorkNameSort: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Our Rating: 3.50
Like Labyrinth or The Nightmare Before Christmas before it, this proudly grave kid-lit adaptation seems destined to disappoint at the box office but be remembered as a lifetime favorite by a few million Goths in training. The love of reading, a gift for invention and a handful of other brainiac attributes are the guiding virtues as a trio of resourceful orphans are delivered into the slimy custody of their conniving Count Olaf (Jim Carrey). The film's excellent look arrives at a time when Tim Burton isn't making Tim Burton films anymore – exec producer Barry Sonnenfeld covered similar terrain in his Addams Family movies – and the unflinching depiction of loss and loneliness will tug at the black-lace heartstrings of trivia-deniers of all ages. A smattering of vulgar anachronisms spoils the timeless appeal, with Carrey the worst offender: His excessive ad libs are the symptoms of an advanced case of Robin Williams' disease.
