Film #168 – Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, while not a faithful adaptation of the books on which it is based, captures the essence of those books and translates it to the big screen with flair.
It’s impossible to discuss Unfortunate Events without pointing out that, as mentioned, it doesn’t really follow the books. It takes the basic plot points of the first three novels in the series, The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room and The Wide Window, and jumbles the events around a bit to restructure them as one story, rather than three episodes. They also give the story a through line that (at least where the first three books are concerned) does not exist in the series. And, finally, despite an ending that could easily be viewed as a downer, the filmmakers couldn’t help but tack on a bit of the old “Hollywood happy ending”.
But these divergences from the source material don’t detract from the film’s success as a Lemony Snicket tale (more about that later) or as an entertainment in its own right.
Director Brad Silberling has obviously taken a cue from the illustrations that accompany the books, as the cast, costumes and sets re-create the look of the novels as well as any film I have ever seen. Even the cartoon credits sequences, though using a completely different visual style than the books, still replicates their feel. Effects are not generally too noticeable, but there are a few (like the snake) that just don’t work. (Again, more on that later.)
He cast the film extremely well, starting with the decision to get Jim Carrey for the pivotal role of the villain, Count Olaf. Olaf is portrayed in the books as very tall, very thin and wiry. Carrey is perfect and it is difficult to think of another actor that could carry off the visual demands of the role as well as portray both the menace Olaf represents and the comedic nature of his outlandish disguises.
The Baudelaire children are just as well cast. Emily Browning is able to bring forth Violet’s strength and fierce devotion to her siblings from her very first scene. Liam Aiken is a strong Klaus, although he is portrayed a good bit older than in the books. * While this allows his striking intelligence to come through more readily, it undercuts the creulty of Count Olaf by making him appear old enough to handle himself. Kara & Shelby Hoffman as Sunny radiate a simple charm that perfectl captures her innocent spirit.
If I have a complaint about the cast, it’s how (given the condensed nature of the story) so many well-cast actors and actresses are shufted off to the sidelines simply because there isnlt time for them. Timothy Spall gets the most time as Mr. Poe, the man handling the children’s financial affairs and in charge of placing them in a new home. But Billy Connolly and Meryl Streep as their Uncle Monty (from The Reptile Room) and Aunt Josphine (from The Wide Window) barely have time to establish their characters before it’s on to the next bit. Catherine O’Hara gets the worst of this, as her character, Justice Strauss, who is so important in The Bad Beginning gets barely half a dozen lines in the film. Also on hand are Luis Guzmán (Bald Man), Craig Ferguson (Person of Indeterminate Gender), Jennifer Coolidge (White Faced Woman), Cedric the Entertainer (Constable) and quick cameos by Dustin Hoffman and Jane Lynch. While it’s nice that they made sure the world of Lemony Snicket was populated by lively characters, I would have preferred to have spent a bit more time with them.
And that’s the biggest drawback to A Series of Unfortunate Events. The condensation forced a lot of significant character stuff to go by the wayside. In its place is the over-arching story of the Baudelaire’s parents snd some sort of secret society that never really makes sense. I guess it was the relative shortness of the books compared to others that led to this decision to do three at once, but given how hard filmmakers have found adapting things like the Harry Potter books, you’d think they’d revel in a chance to present a somewhat short, but perfectly paced, book just as it was.
If that was the sum of the film, I think I would be on the fence as to whether I actually liked it or not, but there is one thing that rescues it: Lemony Snickey himself. Well, not himself, of course, but the narration provided by Jude Law as Snicket. The moments in the books when Snicket steps out of his role as narrator and speaks directly to the audience are some of the best bits. Law is able to capture the essence of Snicket’s persona and, though still wrapped around a comprimised story, infuse it with Snicket’s
personality. The little asides, the opportunities to stop watching that he provides if we’d rather not see the sad tale to its end, the highly coloful descriptions of characters and settings all fit Snicket perfectly Law does a masterful job with them.
And ultimately it is that, the embracing of Snicket’s skewed view of the world that makes A Series of Unfortunate Events work. Even with the warm-and-fuzzy bit tacked onto the end, it doesn’t provide a truly happy ending. It shows how callous and thoughtless people can be, but also how resourcefulness and bravery can be found in even the youngest. It may not be the most straightforward adaptation and it may take liberty with characters and situations, but it grabs the heart of the series and at least draws to a satisfying conclusion, since it doesn’t seem that any further “events” are forthcoming.
* This caused a problem as Aiken grew throughout the production of the film, causing his height to dramatically change throughout the movie. Klaus varies from a couple of inches shorter than Violet to a couple of inches taller.
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Now, to that other stuff I mentioned. I’ve separated it out because it really has nothing to do with the movie itself, but with the DVD. You see, the *real* Lemony Snicket, Daniel Handler, has, on occasion, taken on the role of Lemony Snicket in media appearances (though never actually seen). I first heard Handler as “Snicket” in the special “interview” found at the end of the audiobook to The Bad Beginning. It was filled with brilliant stuff, such as Handler/Snicket’s continually forgetting that he’s pretending to be two people.
Anyway, the DVD of A Series of Unfortunate Events features an audio commentary by director Brad Silberling and Handler-as-Snicket. It starts out with Snicket horrified at the mere prospect of someone wanting to dramatize the traumas of the Baudelaire orphans at all. But once he settles down, he begins to expound continually on all the things the film gets wrong. He mentions scenes that “never happened”. characters that don’t look right and the failings of the visual effects. (He comments on the liklihood of Sunny being frightened by a “cartoon snake”.)
If anything put me over the line on this film and convinced me that the filmmakers “got” Snicket, it was the willingness to subject their film to his often harsh (but hilarious) commentary; poking fun at themselves, but also inserting the film itself into the story arch of the books themselves.