Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
A Movie Some Will Fortunately Love!
Violet (Emily Browning), Klaus (Liam Aiken), and Sunny (Kara Hoffman) live a charming and privileged life. Each day filled with love, security, and a sense of well-being. All of this comes to a screeching halt when their parents are tragically killed in a mysterious fire. A distant relative comes to their rescue in the form of Count Olaf, (Jim Carey) an eccentric middle aged has-been who the children quickly come to find out is interested in one thing: their family fortune. But that fortune can only be accessed when all the children are at least of age, or when they are all deceased. Which one comes first may or may not be part of a series of Unfortunate Events!
Whether you’ll like the 2004 film Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events will depend on one thing: if you read the books. If you did, you’ll feel like the movie was rushed, jumbled up, and made into a comedy when clearly it wasn’t meant to be one. If you didn’t read the books you’ll love it and will find yourself entertained from beginning to end. But either way, you won’t be able to argue about the casting! Jim Carey steals the show. You’ll hate him, despise him, pity him, and loathe him all in the same 2 minutes. Also the three that play the Baudelaire children are brilliant child actors! Even the youngest, Sunny, pulls off the baby gargle with perfect timing. A fun film for both the kids, and those who didn’t read the books!
Motherly Advice: I had my filters set on least for Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. The books are meant to be extremely dark and foreboding, but the movie has a lot of humor, thanks to Jim Carey, so that kids can watch it and get some giggles out of it. But know that the film does still take on a dark feeling both in the cinematography and in the plot ie: the parents die as well as some other characters. Which the younger kids might not quite understand, and the older kids might not like. One part to watch out for that might scare the little ones is when the kids are on the lake and are attacked by killer leeches. Because of the darkness of the movie and the few scary parts I’d recommend this film for ages 10+.
Trisha - I wanted to read the books but now I feel fortunate that I didn’t, I loved this film!
Rated PG for thematic elements, scary situations and brief language; 108 min; Directed by Brad Silberling
Tweens & Teens Movie Night Activity: Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
“The movie you are about to see is extremely unpleasant…”
After Mr. & Mrs. Baudelaire die in a tragic home fire, Violet, Klaus and Sonny are taken to their distant relative, Count Olaf. The kids quickly discover that the creepy and eccentric actor isn’t very interested in taking over the job as a parent, but very keen on the idea of becoming rich from the family’s fortune. Gather the family and see what becomes of the Baudelaire children… if you dare!
Wear While Watching:
*Dress up like one of the Baudelaire children or one of their relatives, like Uncle Monty or Aunt Josephine. This movie has an almost steam-punk feel to it, so mix and match your best Victorian era costumes with your modern attire and see what you can come up with. Remember to use a lot of black and grey, like Violet, Klaus and Sonny wear.
*Count Olaf uses a number of different disguises to trick people. Copy what Olaf wears or dress up like Stefano or Captain Sham. You could even have each person dress up as Count Olaf in each of his different costumes.
Home Theater Décor:
*Count Olaf’s house is very drab and dirty. To get your guest to feel like they are right there with the Baudelaire children add some cobwebs around your home to make it look old and creepy. You could also put up pictures of the eye that Olaf has throughout his house.
*The narrator tries to warn you through out the whole show to stop watching because everything is too tragic. You could add similar warnings to your home. Have a sign on the couch that says “Don’t sit down! You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into!” and one near the food that says “You’ll be sorry!” anything that would make your guests think twice about what they’re doing.
Movie Munchies:
*When the kids have to make dinner for Count Olaf and his acting troupe, they throw together some Pasta Puttanesca, which Klaus says is pasta with “very few ingredients.” Serve up some Puttanesca of your own or your family’s favorite kind of pasta, unless you want to hold out for some roast beef, like Count Olaf tried to do.
*When Count Olaf leaves the car on the train tracks, he goes into a little shop to get some soda and bananas for the kids. You could include these as snacks for your kids too.
*When the Baudelaire kids get to Uncle Monty’s house, they have cake while they listen to him play some music. Cake would make a great dessert, especially after you have some Chilled Cucumber Soup made from Aunt Josephine’s recipe of course.
Movie Inspired Adventures:
*The bobble-head elf in Count Olafs car ends up helping the kids get out of a very sticky situation. Make your own bobble head using one of these two online tutorials. There’s one from eHow or one from HGTV. If you make one, be sure to show us how they turn out by leaving a link in the comments or posting a picture on our Facebook page.
*Aunt Josephine left a note for the kids and luckily Klaus was able to see the encoded message. Write your own secret notes to each other in code and see if you’re able to de-code them all. Try using Aunt Josephine’s technique or come up with your own cipher to try and fool everyone.
*Did you know this movie is based on a number of Lemony Snicket books? It’s true! The movie has parts from the first three books, with other little details coming from as many as three others. There are 13 books in the series. If you enjoyed this movie, be sure to read the books.
*LyndiLou* - Movie Mom Who Didn’t Leave The Theater To See The Littlest Elf Instead Of This Movie
Rated PG for thematic elements, scary situations and brief language; 108 min; Directed by Brad Silberling