Home
search
more | tips
IMDb > Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 119 | slideshow) Videos (see all 2)
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) -- 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.
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) -- 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.

Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   44,144 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 29% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Brad Silberling
Writers (WGA):
Daniel Handler (books)
Robert Gordon (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
17 December 2004 (USA) more
Tagline:
On December 17, Christmas cheer takes a holiday. more
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. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 6 wins & 21 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(48 articles)
Recipe for Lemony Snicket’s Parsley Soda
 (From thetorchonline. 19 June 2009, 8:49 AM, PDT)

Land of the Lost Review
 (From FilmJunk. 8 June 2009, 11:02 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Quality movie, unless you're a die-hard fan of the books more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
A Series of Unfortunate Events (USA) (original script title)
Lemony Snicket (USA) (working title)
Lemony Snicket - Rätselhafte Ereignisse (Germany)
Una serie de eventos desafortunados (Chile) (Venezuela) [es]
Лемони Сникет: 33 несчастья (Russia) [ru]
Desventuras em Série (Brazil) [pt]
Lemony Snicket - Mia seira apo atyhi gegonota (Greece) [el]
Lemony Snicket - Niz nesretnih dogadaja (Croatia) [hr]
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]
Les désastreuses aventures des orphelins Baudelaire (France) [fr]
Les désastreuses aventures des orphelins Baudelaire d'après Lemony Snicket (Canada: French title) [fr]
Serija nesrecnih dogadjaja Lemonija Sniketa (Serbia) [sr]
Syskonen Baudelairs olycksaliga liv (Sweden) [sv]
Talihsiz serüvenler dizisi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Un seguit de desgràcies catastròfiques de Lemony Snicket (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Una serie de catastróficas desdichas de Lemony Snicket (Spain) [es]
Una serie de infortunados eventos. Lemony Snicket (Chile) [es]
more
MPAA:
Rated PG for thematic elements, scary situations and brief language.
Runtime:
108 min
Country:
USA | Germany
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In the stairwell where we first meet Count Olaf, there is a portrait of Olaf in Shakespearian garb, reaching out with his hand. This is almost an exact duplicate of a picture of John Barrymore playing "Hamlet". more
Goofs:
Plot holes: Early in the movie, Lemony Snicket says that he and his team only know that the fire was started from afar. At the end of the movie, he knows exactly what happened. more
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...
more
Movie Connections:
References The Princess Bride (1987) more
Soundtrack:
Loverly Spring more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
121 out of 162 people found the following comment useful:-
Quality movie, unless you're a die-hard fan of the books, 23 December 2004
7/10
Author: scchait from IL, USA

I first heard of these books when I saw my younger brother reading them. I got curious and when I saw they were making a movie was sure to read the first three before seeing it. Right off the bat, I can tell you that if you are a completely possessive fan of these books you might be rather disappointed by this movie. The movie condenses books "The Bad Beginning," "The Reptile Room," and "The Wide Window" by slicing the first book in half and placing the other two inside of it, like a sandwich. Of course in order for this to be possible the story has to change to make it work, so some elements are not factual. Combine this with Snicket's usually clever details in the book having to be cut down and very loyal fans are going to be disappointed. The movie also adds in a subplot that the first three books do not possess, but that the later ones (according to my brother) do, so I was a bit bothered by having that element ruined if i choose to read more of the series.

I, however, understand the difference between books and movies, and think that on the whole they succeeded in keeping the tone and uniqueness of this series. Carrey as Olaf is wonderful and adds something to a character that seems to be rather dry in the books and the children are believable and easy to sympathize with. While humor was scarce, the tone of the books is more clever than humorous anyway.

Overall my only issues are plot-wise and how this creates a choppy feel to the film, but I don't know of a way it could have been done better. The movie was well done with(as many are saying) excellent scenery, costumes, etc., yet nothing made this film completely amazing. It is however, worth the time and money and one should definitely read the books.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Things about the movie that don't add up w/ the books. garfield2710
Vastly, vastly underrated chris_marlow40
The Lemony Snicket Sequel: The Situation Worsens supermandumas
Is the reptile real? grant_heathcote
Why all the quallity comedy movies don't have high imdb rating? snowlzt
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Batman Begins The Night of the Hunter City of Shoulders and Noses Big Fish The Incredibles
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Adventure section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.