A Series of Unfortunate Events

2004
PG
1h 48m

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

224K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer1:45

Dark Comedy Fantasy Epic Psychological Drama Quirky Comedy Adventure Comedy Family Fantasy

When a massive fire kills their parents, three children are delivered to the custody of cousin and stage actor Count Olaf, who is secretly plotting to steal their parents' vast fortune.When a massive fire kills their parents, three children are delivered to the custody of cousin and stage actor Count Olaf, who is secretly plotting to steal their parents' vast fortune.When a massive fire kills their parents, three children are delivered to the custody of cousin and stage actor Count Olaf, who is secretly plotting to steal their parents' vast fortune.

Director
- Brad Silberling
Writers
- Robert Gordon
- Daniel Handler
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

224K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

1,994

216

Director
- Brad Silberling
Writers
- Robert Gordon
- Daniel Handler
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 Oscar
- 10 wins & 28 nominations total

Trivia
When the children first meet Count Olaf and Jim Carrey says, "Wait, let me do that one more time. Give me the line again, quickly, while its fresh in my mind." was not actually in the script. Carrey accidentally forgot his line and staying in character, wanting to try it again, but they kept the cameras rolling and felt it worked the way it happened.

Goofs
When Count Olaf asks why the children haven't cooked him roast beef, he is standing on the ground in front of his acting troupe. In the next shot, about a second later, he is shown jumping down from the table (This is due to cutting an extended scene where Olaf gets onto the table and ruins the dinner they have prepared).

Quotes
Count Olaf: I must say, you are a gloomy looking bunch. Why so glum?
Klaus Baudelaire: ...Our parents just died.
Count Olaf: Ah yes, of course. How very, very awful. Wait! Let me do that one more time. Give me the line again! Quickly, while it's fresh in my mind!
Klaus Baudelaire: [uncertainly] Our parents just died?
Count Olaf: [gasps dramatically]
Sunny: [in baby talk] What a schmuck!

Crazy credits
There is a credit for 'baby wrangler.'

Alternate versions
When aired on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, lines with profanity such as "Damn it, this was such a good character" have the offending language removed. In this case the line simply becomes "this was such a good character." However, what is odd is the line "No one knows the precise cause of the Baudelaire fire. My colleagues and I have investigated as best we can. But all we've discovered is that the blaze was started from a great distance through the refraction and convergence of light. And within moments, the entire mansion was in flames." is removed entirely, which is odd since it's an important plot point. However the line " And as mysterious as the source of the blaze, other mysteries began to unfold before the children's eyes. Every family has its secrets, doors left unopened. But as Klaus now realized, the smallest discovery would send his mind reeling with questions." is kept intact.

Connections
Featured in A Terrible Tragedy: Alarming Evidence from the Making of the Film - A Woeful World (2004)

Soundtracks
Loverly Spring
By Thomas Newman and Bill Bernstein

User reviews673

Review

Featured review

No Lemons In This Snicket

Some movies are just plain fun to watch. This is one.

It's funny, it's dramatic and it's a great visual treat with Tim Burton-esquire wild images throughout. This is a superb job of combining great visuals, special effects and an entertaining story.

The two kids, played by Emily Browning and Liam Aiken, should get top billing since they are in every scene while Jim Carrey is in about half.

Everyone in this film is a hoot, especially Carrey who plays "Count Olaf" and then disguises himself by pretending to be other people throughout the story. Whomever he was playing he was hilarious. With his crazy persona, Carrey was good choice for this role. The lines he delivers are so hammy they make me just laugh out loud. I appreciated his work even more on the second viewing.

The kids are likable, good-looking and decent actors and the "baby" is given the funniest "lines" in the movie - all in subtitles.

This film is too dark for the little kids but fun for adolescents on up. There is almost no profanity in here and no sex. The sets are particularly strange and interesting, from the various houses to the clothing to the computer-enhanced scenery, with gorgeous colors. Make no mistake: this is a very pretty film with so many fascinating objects in here to view that even multiple viewings can't possibly pick them all up.

Obviously, there is a lot to like. I hope there is a sequel.