Orphans and the kids without guidance have long held the fascination of the American public perhaps because "family" has been an obsession from the Puritans to politicians. Brad Sieberling's "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" features three wealthy orphans shunted from relative to relative while their evil uncle Count Olaf connives to gain their fortune by becoming their guardian. Daniel Handler's immensely popular books (think the Harry Potter series without sweetness) have been successfully adapted with stunning set design and most importantly the genius of Jim Carrey as the count.
Unlike the magical Potter kids Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Beaudelaire (the name being the only sweetly poetic turn in this dark tale) have a few talents to help themselvesViolet an ingenious inventor and Klaus a reader who forgets not a wordyet they are pretty much buffeted by the inept or insane adults who move them around like chess pieces until the kids can take it no more and seriously invoke their special skills.
Again unlike Potter, the story is ruled by the villain, played with enormous energy and wit by Jim Carrey, morphing into several characters who can mug and stretch without anyone using the cliché "over the top" to criticize the excess of the count. When he cozy's up to the daft Aunt Josephine, played by an obviously enjoying-her-own excesses Meryl Streep, the price of admission has been duly rewarded. Children and adults should savor two of the best actors in film playfully playing off each other.
Because "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" is unarguably about the dark side of survival in a corrupt adult world, the challenge for young moviegoers is to enjoy the irony and sarcasm, or even to recognize it. Narrator Lemony Snicket (voice of Jude Lawnow where have we seen him this year!) warns more than once that this is not a traditional feel good movie, but that will not help very young children understand the comic subtext of grim events or the Panglossian optimism of everything happening for the best. It's the educated, irony feeding adults who are the winners in this audience.
Unlike the magical Potter kids Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Beaudelaire (the name being the only sweetly poetic turn in this dark tale) have a few talents to help themselvesViolet an ingenious inventor and Klaus a reader who forgets not a wordyet they are pretty much buffeted by the inept or insane adults who move them around like chess pieces until the kids can take it no more and seriously invoke their special skills.
Again unlike Potter, the story is ruled by the villain, played with enormous energy and wit by Jim Carrey, morphing into several characters who can mug and stretch without anyone using the cliché "over the top" to criticize the excess of the count. When he cozy's up to the daft Aunt Josephine, played by an obviously enjoying-her-own excesses Meryl Streep, the price of admission has been duly rewarded. Children and adults should savor two of the best actors in film playfully playing off each other.
Because "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" is unarguably about the dark side of survival in a corrupt adult world, the challenge for young moviegoers is to enjoy the irony and sarcasm, or even to recognize it. Narrator Lemony Snicket (voice of Jude Lawnow where have we seen him this year!) warns more than once that this is not a traditional feel good movie, but that will not help very young children understand the comic subtext of grim events or the Panglossian optimism of everything happening for the best. It's the educated, irony feeding adults who are the winners in this audience.