Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Theatrical Release Date: 2004 12 17 (USA)

UPC: 097360533842

Studio: Paramount

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Profanity, Scary Moments]

Summary: The best-selling series of subversive children's books from author Lemony Snicket (aka Daniel Handler) come to the screen in this black comedy for the whole family (and how often do you get to see one of those?). The Baudelaire siblings -- gadget freak Violet (Emily Browning), bookworm Klaus (Liam Aiken), and baby Sunny (Kara Hoffman and Shelby Hoffman) -- were living a fairy-tale existence with their parents until they died in a fire that destroyed the family home. With few close relatives and a large fortune the children won't inherit until they reach adulthood, the Baudelaire children are left in the care of the peculiar Count Olaf (Jim Carrey), an out-of-work actor who would love nothing more than to get his hands on the kids' money. It doesn't take long for the children to figure out that Count Olaf is up to no good, and they try to steer clear of his various murderous schemes with the help of wildly paranoid Aunt Josephine (Meryl Streep) and snake-fancying Uncle Monty (Billy Connolly). Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events also features Catherine O'Hara, Timothy Spall, Cedric the Entertainer, and Luis Guzman; Jude Law narrates in the guise of author Snicket. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Children's/Family

Awards: Best Young Actor – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Young Actress – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Live Action Family Film – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Costume Design – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Makeup – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Makeup – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Features: ccDirector Brad Silberling commentary
Brad Silberling and the real Lemony Snicket commentary
Bad Beginnings: Building a Bad Actor, Making the Baudelaire Children Miserable, Interactive Olaf
Orphaned scenes: dismal deletions, obnoxious outtakes
Full screen version
Dolby Digital: English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround, Spanish 5.1 Surround
English subtitles

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Format: DVD

Release Date: 04/26/2005

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 107 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French,Spanish

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. The Bad Beginning
2. Your New Guardian
3. Chores
4. Custody Granted
5. The Reptile Room
6. Stephano Arrives
7. The Incredibly Deadly Viper
8. Aunt Josephine
9. Captain Sham
10. Hurricane Herman
11. Lachrymose Leeches
12. The Marvelous Marriage
13. Let the Wedding Begin
14. No One Listens to Children
15. The Letter That Never Came
16. End Titles

Karl Williams

When it's the story that makes a book special, it can often be adapted successfully into a film, as one narrative medium morphs smoothly into another. But when a book's most valuable aspect is its prose style, filmmakers should be warned that they will be hard-pressed to recreate the virtues of their source material. That's the problem with Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, a cinematic version of the first three books in an entire cash-cow line by Daniel Handler, aka "Lemony Snicket." The snide lamentations and morose asides of the author's ironic style make the Snicket books a hoot, but these are not visual qualities and not easily translatable. That leaves director Brad Silberling and screenwriter Robert Gordon able to render only the physical features of the books' Gothic settings. The result is a sort of Tim Burton-lite that looks superb but is too scary for tots, but not quite funny enough for their parents. Despite heavy lifting on the part of a terrific cast that includes Jim Carrey and Meryl Streep, Jude Law as narrator, and a breakout performance by Australian actress Emily Browning as Violet, the tone ends up too affected and dark without the ameliorating effects of Handler's omniscient, mordant voice. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Thomas Newman  Composer (Music Score) 
Walter Parkes  Producer 
Scott Rudin  Executive Producer 
Barry Sonnenfeld  Executive Producer 
Jim Van Wyck  Producer 
Brad Silberling  Director 
Laurie MacDonald  Producer 
Julia Pistor  Executive Producer 
Albie Hecht  Executive Producer 
Robert Gordon  Screenwriter 
Jim Carrey  Actor 
Liam Aiken  Actor 
Emily Browning  Actor 
Kara Hoffman  Actor 
Shelby Hoffman  Actor 
Jude Law  Actor 
Timothy Spall  Actor 
Catherine O'Hara  Actor 
Billy Connolly  Actor 
Meryl Streep  Actor 
Luis Guzman  Actor 
Jamie Harris  Actor 
Craig Ferguson  Actor 
Jennifer Coolidge  Actor 
Jane Adams  Actor 
Cedric the Entertainer  Actor 

Country: USA