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Jim Carrey, Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Kara Hoffman, Shelby Hoffman ... see more see more... , Jude Law , Timothy Spall , Catherine O'Hara , Billy Connolly , Meryl Streep , Luis Guzman , Jamie Harris , Craig Ferguson , Jennifer Coolidge , Jane Adams (II) , Cedric the Entertainer

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... read more read more... 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

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61% liked it

451,656 ratings

Critics

72% liked it

158 critics

PG, 1 hr. 47 min.

Directed by: Brad Silberling

Release Date: December 17, 2004

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DVD Release Date: April 26, 2005

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Stats: 27,219 reviews

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Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Little Elf Count Olaf and the Children Unfortunate events Lemony Snicket Baudelaire Children The Baudelaire Children and Ruined House Meryl Streep (as Aunt Josephine) in 'Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events' The Baudelaire Children The Baudelaire Children with Aunt Josephine Count Olaf Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Jim Carrey Olaf in the Car Crash Liam Aiken 3 brothers Klaus baudelaire Lemony Snicket
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Flixster Reviews (27,219)

  • fb100000257973100
    March 27, 2012
    fb100000257973100
    I was once addicted to the books that this film was based on. Due to me being bored, I decided to take down off of my bookshelves the entire saga of the Baudelaire children and read each book nonstop until the end of all 171 chapters. Wanting more, I decided to rewatch the film. ... read moreAt first, I was puzzled with what I saw. I know that novels will be different when they are presented on film, but I was puzzled at the drastic change of the content. The original series was a modern masterpiece of dark comedy and psychological humor while the film was mainly slapstick with some dark humor and impressive set pieces.
    After coming to terms with that, I rewatched the film to base it on it's own terms. What I got was an okay film that proves how versatile Jim Carry can be in terms of playing different characters. That is what might be the greatest problem with this film: it is built too much on being artistic and show casing Carry's talent as an actor. The rest of the cast is... okay. Nothing that really stood out to me and for a film that has Timothy Spall, Jude Law, and Meryl Streep, this is a shock due to how bland they acted. I know in the books their characters only served as disposable characters just to move the story along, but here they just seem to be their for no reason. You could literally remove those characters and the film would still be the same. I find this disappointing because all three actors play characters that are amusing, interesting, and worth watching. But with them removing almost all likability that they had in the text, they are just left hallow characters that serve no purpose. Honestly, this broke my heart a bit because I wish that they would have gave these characters life.
    But, seeing as how this film is built on the triple performance of Jim Carry, I might as well talk about that for a bit. He is good in this version of Olaf, and that is to say the film adaption. He portrays this dark character as a comedic joke, making each reincarnation more humorous and insane than the previous. Watching him does make one smile due to the silly and outrageous presentation. His performance is not as good nor as memorable as others, but the look he givers Olaf is.
    For the children, they are okay. Emily Browning portrays a more mature version of Violet which, for me, I liked. In the books that the film is adapted from, Violet comes off as weak and a little whinny. Here she is more mature, independent, and clear thinking. Liam Aiken does okay as Klaus, giving us a more whinny version and one that is not as good as you can hope. Personally, I wish that they picked a different actor other than Liam Aiken. But, that is just me. Seeing as how Sunny is just a baby in the film, it would be unfair for me to critique that performance.
    The set design and look of this film is wonderful. That is the one thing they did get right: the complete gothic feel of the story. Reading the novels, there is just a wave of Tim Burton-esque influence with the tone and look of the settings. If I could applaud this film for anything, it would be the art direction.
    In a nutshell, I did not care for this film at all. Yeah, it is a nice little family film that is good for passing the time, but if you are looking for a good adaption, you will be screwed to find that this is no such case. But, you know, it is a pity: this film could have been great.
  • neoshredder
    November 13, 2011
    neoshredder
    "Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events" is a movie based off of the book series of the same name. What can I say about this movie, it's great, for children or fully grown adults. It actually does follow the source material quite well, and is told from an interesting fir... read morest person perspective by one of the orphans that insinuates he is writing the series of books as he narrates this movie. It's a very interesting concept, but anyway, onto the movie. The movie, as do the books, follow the story of three orphans trying to find a new home after their old one was burned down and their parents killed in the fire. Soon enough, they meet Count Olaf, their horrible relative who, throughout the movie, constantly keeps trying to kill them so he can inherent their family fortune as their legal guardian. The first thing you will notice, just by watching the trailers, is that Jim Carrey plays Count Olaf, as well as his many disguised personas, and he does the role beautifully. He's truly a very interesting and unique villain in any movie, one minute you'll love to laugh at him, and the next you'll love to hate his guts. He plays the part well and, as Jim Carrey always is, is hilarious. This movie is full of memorable characters such as Count Olaf, the movie has an outlandish theme, yet feels real at the same time. Truly a well constructed, and fun to watch movie.
  • aquateen2
    November 4, 2011
    aquateen2
    Jim Carrey is my favorite actor and this feels a lot to me like something Tim Burton would do. Jim Carrey reminds me of Michael Keaton in Burton's Beetlejuice. A funny man playing a creepy man. A little to much CGI was used in the film but behind its far too dark overtones it has... read more a real message that could be learned from at heart.
  • spielberg00
    July 16, 2011
    spielberg00
    Funny, but quite bleakly.
  • murphmann93
    June 24, 2011
    murphmann93
    A really enjoyable family film!
  • ironclad1609
    June 16, 2011
    ironclad1609
    This wonderfully bizarre, mean and black comedy about a bunch of rich orphans trying to escape their murderous uncle is an example of Jim Carrey's talent. He fills the several roles he's playing here with so much unique features, accents (and great make-up work), it's a pleasure ... read moreto behold. The kids actors are really fine, too, making for worthy adversaries. The Tim Burton-esque production design and the excellent soundtrack add even more to the wonderfully gloomy and quirky atmosphere. Who would have thought a movie about someone trying to kill some kids and their guardians could be this much fun?
  • jamers2011
    June 9, 2011
    jamers2011
    It was too hard of a task to try to turn this book series into a movie. There are 13 books, so any film adaptation should have been out of the question. But, this was released and it was a respectable try at least.

    It's a combination of the first 4 books so the story is a bit... read more odd. But it was an enjoyable film! Jim Carrey was not an ideal pick for Count Olaf, but it was made by Nickelodeon, so whatever. He was creepy enough. Meryl Streep was perfect!

    After all, it was nominated for 4 Academy Awards!
  • 3niR
    April 15, 2011
    3niR
    At last I saw this movie and wasn't disappointed at all. It was brilliant. Though I don't like Jim Carrey that much but I must admit that he did well in his part. Totally loved how he copied a dinosaur movements. And Kara (or Shelby?) Hoffman's was so adorable and funny.
  • DreamExtractor
    March 1, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    Funny and serious makes a creepy kid movie
  • skeletonking101
    January 6, 2011
    skeletonking101
    boring and not fun

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Critic Reviews

Hank Sartin
November 15, 2011
Hank Sartin, Chicago Reader

Episodic but entertaining. Full Review

David Edelstein
December 21, 2004
David Edelstein, Slate

Heinrichs helps take your mind off the slack direction and the letdown of a climax, which ought to make the kiddies hurl Gummi Bears at the screen. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
December 20, 2004
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

A lavishly mounted blockbuster that has little personality of its own except on a purely visual level.

Richard Roeper
December 20, 2004
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

It just kind of spins its wheels. Full Review

Roger Ebert
December 17, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

I think this one is a tune-up for the series, a trial run in which they figure out what works and what needs to be tweaked. Full Review

Stephanie Zacharek
December 17, 2004
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

As it ticks by, laboriously, it leaves you feeling that you should be enjoying it more than you are. Full Review

Jennifer Frey
December 17, 2004
Jennifer Frey, Washington Post

The visuals are dark and ominous without getting totally terrifying -- the characters feel real, but their environment is off-kilter enough to remind you that this world is one of imagination. Full Review

Peter Howell
December 17, 2004
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

A dark charmer. Full Review

Carla Meyer
December 17, 2004
Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle

Carrey finds his perfect role in Count Olaf. Full Review

Roger Moore
December 17, 2004
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

There's little, very little, at all unfortunate about it. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Klaus Baudelaire: There is always something.
    • Violet Baudelaire: Well not this time.
    • Llamando Conde Olaf: Soda, soda, banana.
    • Llamando Conde Olaf: Hello hello hello! I Am Your Beloved Count Olaf.
    • Llamando Conde Olaf: I had the kipper in my mouth, and I offered.
    • Constable: [pretending to save Klaus from drowning] I saved him! I saved the boy from the leeches! Back to the depths, you fingery devils! You will not devour this boy's head today!
    • Llamando Conde Olaf: I will raise these orphans as if they were actually wanted!
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Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Trivia

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfo... Trivia

  • Billy Connolly plays a beloved Uncle who loves snakes while Jim Carrey plays a not-so-beloved Count who loves himself?  Answer »
  • "It is a curious thing, the death of a loved one. It's like walking up the stairs to your bedroom in the dark, and thinking that there's one more stair then there actually is. Your foot falls down through the air, and there's a sickly moment of dark surprise."  Answer »
  • "The world can seem an unfriendly and sinister place, but believe us when we say that there is much more good in it, than bad. All you have to do is look hard enough. And what might seem as a series of unfortunate events, may infact be the first steps of a journey .."  Answer »
  • In "Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events", what does Count Olaf say to Sunny when she looks up at him and makes baby noises?  Answer »
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