The Brothers Grimm

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The Brothers Grimm

PG-13

Released Aug 26, 2005

1h 54m

Fantasy

Adventure

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38%

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179 Reviews

39%

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250,000+ Ratings

The Brothers Grimm, Wilhelm (Matt Damon) and Jacob (Heath Ledger), are dysfunctional schemers who go from town to town putting on shows that convince inhabitants they are getting rid of demons. After one such scam, a mysterious man called Cavaldi (Peter Stormare) brings them to a French general, who persuades them to battle the evil that has kidnapped 10 girls from a small village. During the investigation, the cynical Wilhelm and sensitive Jacob see things that point to real magic at work.

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Critics Consensus

The Brothers Grimm is full of beautiful imagery, but the story is labored and less than enchanting.

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Jamie Woolley

BBC.com

Perfect material, you might think, for Terry Gilliam's brain of perpetual invention. But despite occasional flashes of dark genius, he hasn't laid a golden egg.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 11, 2005

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David Edelstein

Slate

The Brothers Grimm has enough haunting, fairy-tale imagery for 10 movies, but no emotional kick to drive those images home.

Aug 29, 2005

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Richard Roeper

Ebert & Roeper

It's kind of cold and it's kind of a mess, but I thought it was a glorious mess and it looks so great and it is so interesting and there is so much going on that I have to recommend it on a very mild level.

Aug 29, 2005

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Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

A welcome change from the bland remakes and sequels that have cluttered up the multi-plexes this summer.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 31, 2021

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Kathi Maio

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

Gilliam's feverish and fabulous visions for what he hopes to capture on film seem impractical and a little mad at times.

Feb 28, 2020

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Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

Wide-eyed, messy, lustrous, rich with enchantment, both giddy and perverse

Sep 1, 2009

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Robb R

I feel so sorry for Heath Ledger and Matt Damon for having this travesty on their filmographies lol. It is bizarrely bad. Not as bad as War Of The Worlds, but I do feel like I wasted my time.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

09/06/25

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Shane O

The comedy didn’t land , it ends up neither being something you can take seriously or something that makes you laugh. Instead it’s just a bunch of stuff happening .

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/18/25

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Joe Junior P. R

I remember watching The Brothers Grimm when I was a teenager. I thought I found it very entertaining but it's not very good as the other films by Terry Gilliam. It's kinda mediocre. I'd say it's probably a great insult to the fairytale characters like Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel. Go and read books instead.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/12/25

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Audience Member

The only time I ever walked out of a theater mid-film was for the train wreck that was The Brothers Grimm. I went in expecting fantasy, comedy, and horror, but got a confused, boring mess instead. The moment they sliced up a kitten with a bladed fan contraption, I realized I wasn’t willing to sit through the gore and the snore

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/11/25

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Emilliano Jr S

I love all the fairy tales easter egg references, but it fell short on my expectations.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/07/24

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David H

Seems like the cast were more intent on making a Monty Python movie than a Terry Gilliam movie. Shame, really. With British actors in the lead roles, they might have succeeded. Nothing against American actors but they just don't get British humour.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

06/20/24

Full Review

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Terry Gilliam

Director

Matt Damon

Wilhelm Grimm

Heath Ledger

Jacob Grimm

Peter Stormare

Cavaldi

Lena Headey

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Jonathan Pryce

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Synopsis

The Brothers Grimm, Wilhelm (Matt Damon) and Jacob (Heath Ledger), are dysfunctional schemers who go from town to town putting on shows that convince inhabitants they are getting rid of demons. After one such scam, a mysterious man called Cavaldi (Peter Stormare) brings them to a French general, who persuades them to battle the evil that has kidnapped 10 girls from a small village. During the investigation, the cynical Wilhelm and sensitive Jacob see things that point to real magic at work.

Director: Terry Gilliam
Producer: Daniel Bobker, Charles Roven
Screenwriter: Ehren Kruger
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Dimension Films, Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Rating: PG-13 (Frightening Sequences|Brief Suggestive Material|Violence)
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 26, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 11, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $37.9M
Runtime: 1h 54m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

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