Jim Carrey, Liam Aiken, Emily Browning

The story of intelligent, charming, but unlucky siblings Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire and their adventures in the big city after a house-fire leaves them orphaned. When the children are sent to ...( read more  read more... )live with distant relative, Count Olaf, they realize that he has dastardly designs on the Baudelaire family fortune.

Flixster Users

61% liked it

451,656 ratings

Critics

71% liked it

151 critics

PG, 1 hr. 53 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: 25,994 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (25,994)


  • October 10, 2006
    Fun for some, dour & morose for others. Stays faithful to the original material.
  • June 15, 2009
    Really odd...I don't even remember what most of it was about.
  • February 23, 2009
    I really like the way this movie was filmed all though it was not very good compaired to tthe books.
  • November 5, 2008
    It was a pretty good movie; I think they captured the books. I do dislike the fact that they put the first 3 books into one movie though. They also skipped some important parts like Klaus? glasses which would have been very important if they continued to do more movies.
  • October 28, 2008
    "We're very concerned"

    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 ...( read more)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.

    Review
    I highly recommend this movie to people who like movies that are a little bit different. I'm sure this movie won't be for everyone, but that is one of the reasons I did like it so much. Kind of like a Tim Burton movie but maybe a little more polished. A very quirky movie from a very quirky book. Probably a little too scary for small children. The interpreted captions from Sunny, the youngest child were hilarious. Jim Carrey, as Count Olaf, who was not the prime focus of the film was wonderful, he played the role as only he could do it. Streep as Aunt Josephine was also wonderful. This one will go on the list as one of my favorite movies.
  • November 20, 2009
    We're very concerned

    This movie will make you smile. I love this film. Im hoping to read the book. The acting was great also the costume, the story line One of the most consistent film I've watched. Everything was so magical and strange. You could feel every emotio...( read more)n the film has. Meryl Streep is the best. Even though her role is just short she really pulled it off. One of my favorites. At first I thought this was a Tim Burton film, but it's not. The ending left me hanging though. A sequel would be nice!
  • November 14, 2009
    jim carrey! make me laugh everytime i watch it..great!
  • November 11, 2009
    Carry's worst movie.
  • November 5, 2009
    I really love this movie. It wasn't really celebrated or anything but the direction is visually awesome and even though the managed to go through 3 books in one movie, the depiction was cool. Different, but cool.
  • November 2, 2009
    I can't help but love this movie! My expectations were high and I was not disappointed. Beautiful scenes, great dialogues, wonderful acting of all involved. And the screen play adapted from a few novels for once was very good. I didn't even check my watch as I'm normally doing wh...( read more)en watching a children's movie. Maybe I was too happy to watch a movie with unhappy children instead of happy ones? A very nice change indeed. I'm looking forward to the rest of the story very much...

Critic Reviews


May 4, 2005
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

A phantasmagoric family film with both bite and heart. full review

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

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

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

December 17, 2004
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

Call the movie a pleasant near-miss, see it with your expectations lowered and by all means read the books again. full review

December 17, 2004
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

Against all odds it delights, using a compact script (by Robert Gordon), creative storytelling and the ripe comedic talents of a prodigious cast to transform written word into a near-perfect cinematic... full review

December 17, 2004
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

A more apt title might have been: Jim Carrey's Series of Outlandish Impersonations. full review

December 17, 2004
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

The movie, like the books, flatters children's innate sense that the world is not a perfect place and that anyone who insists otherwise is trying to sell you something. full review

December 16, 2004
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Though the movie is a literate adventure story, the series' dark tone is lightened up in the film just enough to make one yearn for the darkly twisted witticisms and pervasive anxiety that made Handle... full review

View more Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • leongwah
    August 29, 2009
    very interesting movie i love it !

    so exciting and dangerous journey of the kids
  • etsmithson12
    March 25, 2008
    i luved this movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but they did mess it up.
  • ikjotrana
    July 20, 2007
    Emily browning is sooo hottttt, beautiful,desirable,etc,etc,etc!!!
    her lips were just perfect,if i ever get a chance,she'll be swimming in my ( u kno what) ! ! !
  • mercurycross0523
    July 18, 2007
    it was a good movie, BUT THEY COMPLETELY RIPPED THE PLOT TO SHREDS AND ATTEMPTED TO REASSEMBLE IT FROM THE BOOKS!
  • EmoGirL2007
    June 15, 2007
    It was...

    Really cooooooooooool loved it
  • JohnnyDeppRocks24
    June 7, 2007
    it rocks but the books are much better!!!!
  • xXLittleSparrowXx
    May 1, 2007
    This was a cool movie. Dark and melancholy, but a comedy thanx to Jim Carrey!
    Do you think they'll make a movie for the next three books? I hope so, but they better get on the ball!
  • AnnafromdaPopo
    April 15, 2007
    Whoever said that Jim Carrey made it a comedy, they're right! It's supposed to be a comedy, even the book was a comedy. It was a tragic and satirical comedy.
  • ilovemovies2007
    February 25, 2007
    loved it
  • iLoveCoke76
    February 16, 2007
    hmm... ok first of all i loved the movie, most definatly one of my favorites, but i think that Jim Carrey was a miscast. Jim Carrey made the movie more of comedy. He's one of my favorite actors, but i don't think he was the right actor for this role.It's still one of my favorite movies, though.

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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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