Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)

Director:

Brad Silberling

Writers (WGA):

Daniel Handler (books)
Robert Gordon (screenplay)

Release Date:

17 December 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

On December 17, Christmas cheer takes a holiday.

Plot:

Three wealthy children's parents are killed in a fire. When they are sent to a distant relative, they find out that he is plotting to kill them and seize their fortune.

Plot Keywords:

Hair | Irreverent | Library | Macabre | Marriage License

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 6 wins & 21 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Aug. 1

8:00 PM

ABC

Cast

Jim Carrey	...	Count Olaf
Liam Aiken	...	Klaus
Emily Browning	...	Violet
Kara Hoffman	...	Sunny
Shelby Hoffman	...	Sunny
Jude Law	...	Lemony Snicket (voice)
Timothy Spall	...	Mr. Poe
Catherine O'Hara	...	Justice Strauss
Billy Connolly	...	Uncle Monty
Meryl Streep	...	Aunt Josephine
Luis Guzmán	...	Bald Man
Jamie Harris	...	Fernald - Hook-Handed Man
Craig Ferguson	...	Person of Indeterminate Gender
Jennifer Coolidge	...	White Faced Woman
Jane Adams	...	White Faced Woman

Also Known As:

A Series of Unfortunate Events (USA) (original script title)
Lemony Snicket (USA) (working title)
Lemony Snicket - Rätselhafte Ereignisse (Germany)
Serie de eventos desafortunados, Una (Chile) (Venezuela) [es]
Désastreuses aventures des orphelins Baudelaire d'après Lemony Snicket, Les (Canada: French title) [fr]
Désastreuses aventures des orphelins Baudelaire, Les (France) [fr]
Desventuras em Série (Brazil) [pt]
Lemony Snicket - Rätselhafte Ereignisse (Austria) [de]
Lemony Snicket - Una serie di sfortunati eventi (Italy) [it]
Lemony Snicket, una serie de eventos desafortunados (Argentina) [es]
Lemony Snicket: Ellendige avonturen (Netherlands) [nl]
Lemony Snicketi sari õnnetuid lugusid (Estonia) [et]
Lemony Snicketin surkeiden sattumuksien sarja (Finland) [fi]
Lemony Snickets - Én ulykke kommer sjældent alene (Denmark) [da]
Lemony Snickets berättelser om syskonen Baudelaires olycksaliga liv (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Lemony Snickets berättelser om syskonen Baudelairs olycksaliga liv (Sweden) [sv]
Seguit de desgràcies catastròfiques de Lemony Snicket, Un (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Serie de catastróficas desdichas de Lemony Snicket, Una (Spain) [es]
Serie de infortunados eventos. Lemony Snicket, Una (Chile) [es]
Serija nesrecnih dogadjaja Lemonija Sniketa (Serbia) [sr]
Syskonen Baudelairs olycksaliga liv (Sweden) [sv]

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements, scary situations and brief language.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | DTS-ES

Certification:

Malaysia:U | Taiwan:PG-12 | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Brazil:10 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | France:U | South Korea:All | Iceland:L | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-11 | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:PG | Netherlands:MG6 | Philippines:G | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Downey Studios - 12214 Lakewood Boulevard, Downey, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

When the children first meet Count Olaf and Jim Carrey says, "Wait, give me that last line again," was not actually in the script, it was Carrey staying in character and wanting to try it again, but they kept the cameras rolling and felt it worked the way it happened.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the children first arrive at Count Olaf's mansion, the metal ring/porthole on the main door swings inwards, downwards. However, when the scene shifts to the interior, the porthole is shown to swing sideways, similar to the door. But when the scene shifts back to the exterior of the house, the porthole door swings back upwards from the inside.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Lemony Snicket: [the Littlest Elf has just come to an abrupt halt] I'm sorry to say that this is not the movie you will be watching. The movie you are about to see is extremely unpleasant. If you wish to see a film about a happy little elf, I'm sure there is still plenty of seating in theatre number two. However, if you like stories about clever and reasonably attractive orphans...

Movie Connections:

References The Karate Kid (1984)

Soundtrack:

Loverly Spring

If you've seen the movie, you don't know what the books are like

The movie was decent. I enjoyed it, certainly. Technically it was outstanding. Casting was good, sets were outstanding, costumes were very nice.

As an adaptation of the books, however, this was horrendous. It was as if the writer had torn a quarter of the pages from the first three books, a few pages from books 4-9, and pasted them together in a random fashion to try and create a cohesive movie. Now, had I not read the books, I would have enjoyed this movie very much, so I have to give that to them, but as a fan, it was just a slap in the face.

If you've read the books, don't see the movie, it will just enrage you. If you haven't, see the movie. It'll be very enjoyable. If, however, you decide to read the books afterwards, be aware that they are far darker than the movie shows, and the mystery is certainly deeper than some magnifying glass in Count Olaf's house. Do not think of them as kid stuff.

7.5/10 for the movie, 2/10 for the adaptation.