Gilliam disappoints with lackluster Grimm

Terry Gilliam's Brothers Grimm begins with a clear plot of a band of brothers attempting to destroy the evil spirits who have been wrecking havoc and murdering innocent children in a remote village, but soon, the plot spirals into a convoluted and incoherent combination of mystery, comedy, horror, adventure and love. While the premise of Brothers Grimm proves compelling, ultimately the execution fails, leaving the audience at once bored and utterly confused, as if left out of Gilliam's inside jokes and quirky antics.

Gilliam's oft misplaced attempts at comic relief cause confusion as to whether the film is truly a farce or to be taken seriously. Much of the humor used feels more immature and undeveloped than well placed or amusing, highlighting the lack of comedic timing and chemistry within the cast.

Gilliam haphazardly throws in several hackneyed stock characters to provide comedic relief but, in doing so, discredits his abilities to understand people as a director. The main villain in the film, played by Peter Stormare, proves to be the most perplexing, yet one dimensional of characters. Mainly Stormare's character is a portrayal of the stereotypical bumbling villain with a ridiculous Italian accent. Mid-film, however, the character inexplicably, and with no apparent character motivation, transforms into a protagonist, leaving the audience with the sense of an ill-planned and chaotically illogical movie.

The lackluster cast, including the sad duo of Matt Damon and Heath Ledger, is practically painful to watch. The forced attempt at chemistry between Damon and Ledger only highlights the lack thereof. The audience is left wondering if either has ever acted before and with the sense that this is more of a high school production than a major motion picture. The acting feels both stifled and unrealistic, making it unclear as to whether Gilliam forgot to attend to directing his actors and became bogged down with the wayward story lines and gratuitous sets, or maybe he just forgot to think about character motivation while writing the screenplay.

The only saving grace of Brothers Grimm is Malena's Monica Bellucci, who plays the dark yet enchantingly beautiful princess of centuries past. Her performance is at once realistic and intriguing, making her hard not to enjoy watching. As she manipulates and mesmerizes the protagonists into attending her evil means, she adds interest into an otherwise dull movie. All in all, though, no matter how amazing of a performance Bellucci gives, she cannot save the film on her own, as there were too many problems with the acting, the screenplay, and the directing.

Generally, the film seems to aim at being a summer blockbuster. Because of this unfeasible goal of attracting all audiences, Gilliam forgets his true aim and creates a film that deviates in a million different directions, alienating audiences and proving both inappropriate for younger audiences and far too sophomoric for more mature viewers. He becomes too interested in pleasing all and ends up pleasing nobody, with an uninspired, convoluted, and disjointed film that truly is a chore to endure.