Les Frères Grimm

Je n’ai pas compris de quoi ce film parlait. À l’origine, je pensais qu’il s’agissait d’une biographie sur les frères Grimm et je m’en réjouissais, mais finalement, c’était une connerie sans âme dépourvue de toute substance. (09/09/2007)

À travers une histoire historique routinière, qui n'a rien de surprenant ni d'enthousiasmant. Une atmosphère sombre, soulignée par une mise en scène gothique et une caméra en mouvement, est présente ici, mais conceptuellement reste dans l'ombre de "Sleepy Hollow" de Burton. Les personnages et l'intrigue sont moyens, sans ambitions élevées. Si c'était un film purement tchèque, je dirais que nous sommes à la hauteur d'Hollywood. Mais dans le cadre d'une production hollywoodienne à gros budget et en plus sous la direction de Terry Gilliam, toujours innovant et unique... pas du tout. (08/10/2005)

This decadent fairy tale-non-fairy tale, set against the dark backdrop of a mysterious forest and a black-humored story proves that as Terry Gilliam grew older, it was as if he was entering his filmmaking adolescence and his only goal was to provoke. However, the film provokes cleverly, boldly, and entertainingly all at the same time, so anyone who has even an ounce of flair for a slightly "different" narrative will certainly enjoy at least the divine Peter Stormare, and as a bonus will be given one little white kitten! (06/02/2007)

Though the subject seemed woefully Gilliamian, its processing into a worn and uninteresting script with extraordinary consistency filtered out everything that went beyond the first plan. Gilliam was left with a visually engaging but desperately empty narrative about two brothers hunting down false ghosts until they find themselves face to face with the real supernatural. Thanks to the direction, it was not a completely reprehensible mess, but despite this fact, The Brothers Grimm offers little more than a lavish quest, decent tricks, uninteresting music, mediocre performances by the main characters and good performances by some of the supporting characters (experienced Gilliams Stormare and Pryce, and the great Bellucci). Instead of a carnival somewhere on the uncertain edge of rationality and irrationality, instead of the dazzling imagination and cinematic magic that Gilliam wields like few, all that remains is typical Hollywood with a flimsy script, colorful backdrops, and a few good gags (but weak-minded by Gilliam's standards). I understand why Terry had the worst shoot of his career... his worst film came out of it. Three stars for an immeasurable and futile effort to turn a fart into a ball. (13/11/2005)

Aside from the barely half-minute scene of a French dinner by the woods, there's not a shred of Gilliam in the entire movie. There is nothing by which you would recognize this as being his work. I'm exaggerating, but not that much. Terry made something that no one expected from a genius of his format - a well-done example of film-craft. Nothing less, but, unfortunately, nothing more either. (11/11/2005)