I agree with your reviewer: there are scary bits and parents & teachers should watch it with the children, but it has a positive message, that we should use the gifts we have to deal with a world that's not always sweetness and light.
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
(2004, Rated PG, Family and kids, Starring Jim Carrey, Jude Law, Meryl Streep)Ratings at a Glance
| 67% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
| 33% | of parents don't think the messages are positive |
| 33% | of parents say it has language their kids can't use |
| 33% | of parents say it's too violent |
Have you seen it? 
Most Recent Reviews
Parent & Educator Reviewers Say | Kid Reviewers Say
- I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My highlights are:
Kids love creepy movies!
- I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My highlights are:
I agree with your reviewer: there are scary bits and parents & teachers should watch it with the children, but it has a positive message, that we should use the gifts we have to deal with a world that's not always sweetness and light.
- I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
think twice before bringing someone 12 and down to this movie!!!!!!
It is a pretty good movie but be warned: their are very violent,frightening,and intense images and situations. Count Olaf is a very,very,very EVIL Role Model and murders people for money
- I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
LOVED it
One of my favs, i read all 13 books and wished there would be a sequel to this masterpiece
- I rate this title off for age 11 and give it
um...
I watched this with my daughter and uhh... it's a horrible and scary movie i'll give this one for teens plese rate it something like 14+ cause it's a very drama movie about (a baby that is like 1 or 2 and afraid of snakes?) I do not get it it's probably better to put a 7 or 8 year old child in.
- I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
I think this is a little to dark and scary for a PG!
- I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
- I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it
- I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
A funny, weird entertaining movie!!
Very surprised at how much we loved the movie! I was expecting to have to fastforward parts but never had to.It reminded me a little of Beetlejuice! The dark scenes and weird stuff! But more for children. Great story telling! Our whole family enjoyed it. Jim Carrey was hilarious, just love his funny body movements and faces!!!Can't wait for the next one!
- I rate this title iffy for age 8 and give it
good movie
This was a good movie, but has dark humor... many tragic things happen to relatives, including parents.
- I rate this title off for age 13 and give it
Boring!
This was a total waste of time for me and my son. He watched a little bit of it but decided to go play instead. I don't blame him. I was very close to turning this off. It was extremely boring. The acting of the children was okay, but I was very disappointed in Jim Carrey's performance. I thought the storyline was nothing special and I'm actually quite surprised my son wasn't scared of the movie. The fact that he kept trying to kill these children is something that really doesn't appeal to me. Yes, I may be an avid horror film buff, but I don't enjoy movies where children are harmed, or where there is an attempt at harm. This was a total waste of my time and my money.
- I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
Fun books. Fun movie.
Yes, it is sad that these children have to endure so much tragedy, and if this were based on a true story, I would find no humor what so ever. However, this is ficticious, therefore we can laugh at some of the ridiculous circumstances. Definitely know your child to determine if the subject matter will be dsitressing to them. But if your kids are 8 or older and not super sensitive, they will probably realize that this sort of thing does not happen everyday. My daughterr is 8 and had no problems dealing with it. But, 2 or 3 years ago I would have never taken her to see this. As far as the quality of the movie...the children are absolutely adorable and very wonderful little acotrs. And as always, Jim Carrey is perfect in his many roles. He is one of the greatest character actors of the 21st century. The script did not follow the books exactly, but most movies-from-books rarely do. Overall, I give it 2 thumbs up!
- I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it
- I rate this title off for age 17 and give it
This is WEIRD!
From beginning to end, this is just a weird movie. I took my 10 year old to see it and afterwards he said, "It was weird" :I agree. It has no values I want to encourage in my children and it contained many persons I hope my children never meet the likes of. Save your money.
- I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- I rate this title iffy for age 8 and give it
Wished it was over
I did not enjoy this movie. From the beginning I kept wondering when it was going to get good and when it would be over. The movie itself was very corny to me. The kids seemed to enjoy it though.
- I rate this title iffy for age 8 and give it
I liked the movie enough to rate it.
My husband and I succumbed to the pleadings of our 4 year old daughter and went to see the movie. I thought it would be too scary for her, but she was not afraid. I jumped out of my skin in the reptile room. She patted my hand and told me it would be okay, it is just a movie! She didn't understand that Count Olaf was in disguise over and over. She thought they were different characters and we couldn't convince her that it was all the same evil villian. She and I discussed the death of the parents, the letter that arrived, and how family sticks together and makes a home wherever they are. We just moved and this was the best theme for us. My husband thought this was one of the weirdest, dumbest movies he's ever seen. He was NOT a fan! FYI: I dreamed of that world all night last night!
- I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
wonderful visuals
My 11-year-old son, who has read the whole series, assures me that the books are much better -- although he liked the movie. I thought it was completely entertaining, funny, and unusual. I just can't figure out why Dustin Hoffman made the cameo appearance...
- I rate this title off for age 11 and give it
- I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it
Dark, dark, but good underlying message
I took my 8 1/2 year old son to Lemony Snicket tonight. He has seen (and loved) the Lord of the Rings movies and the Harry Potter movies. This movie, however, scared him and he didn't like it. He found it too creepy and eerie and the murders of the orphans' guardians by Olaf too disturbing. I loved the movie - think there is a lot of strong and good messages to it and I found it really entertaining. I loved the idea that unfortunate events can spur the beginning of a journey, that they bring out the best in people, that the kids were home when they were with each other, and a number of other messages. I liked what unique individuals each child was. I also like the honesty: bad things happen in life and you don't give up. "What would Violet do?" Seeing the movie together allowed my son and I to talk about such issues. I think tomorrow (or some day soon), we'll talk more about these things. I haven't read the books, so I can't speak to whether the movie is true to those stories. The deaths of the parents and benificent guardians and overall creepiness of the movie was too much for my son.
- I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
- I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
Parent & Educator Reviewers Say | Kid Reviewers Say
- I rate this title iffy for age 8 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Negative role models
JUST OK
This movie is OK. But bare in mind there is lots of peril,sadness,and one bad role model (count olove) in this movie that is not good to let young children see. But children who read the book will sertaintly enjoy watching till the very end.
- I rate this title off for age 4 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
this movie is poofterish
- I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Okay for 7+
Aside from one disturbing scene where a child is hit, most of this movie is creative and fun.
- I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it
crazy!
this film was good..... but wierd. this film is still grim for me
- I rate this title on for age 9 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
SOUE
This Movie is as good as the series!
- I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
Bad adaption, good movie.
I must say that this movie isn't that faithful to the books. However, this movie is still really good, and funny in a twisted sort of way all on its own. Recommended.
- I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
pretty good on its own, but no where near as brillient as the books
i actually really enjoyed this movie and happen to own it. there is a tiny bit of very mild language, (smuck, damn, and bite me.) but no sex or sexual refrences, violence, or scary images. keep in mind that it is a movie about orphaned children, and there are sevral murders that happen off screen. (nothing is shown) it is a good movie for older kids and tweens, but if you've read the books you may enjoy it more.
- I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
I really like it no matter what other people say
It is pretty creepy at some parts, but I'm sure 10 year olds have seen worse. They mixed things up though, things were in a different order in the books. Plus Violet was supposed to sign the paper with her left hand, not have it burn. Jim Carrey made a really good Count Olaf.
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
MY FAVORITE MOVIE EVER!!!!!!
if you thought the books couldn't get better, think again!the movie is amazing! this is a movie you can whatch over and over and over! there is nothing bad in this movie at all! it is for kids! it is based off the frist 3 books in the serise and i suggest reading them first but even if you don't you will still enjoy the movie you just mite not undersstand it all. AWESOME!!!!!!! 8++++++
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
Kind of strange...
I had read the first book right before this came out in theaters, and was disapointed in the inaccuracy of the ending. Violet is supposed to sign the paper with her left hand, not have the paper burn. Also, I thought both the book and the movie were odd in having a 14 year old (someone my age) forced to marry a relative. I don't reccomend this for kids nine or below.
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
Good and funny. Loved the books
- I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it
- I rate this title off for age 2 and give it
Terrible!
This made me sick! If I had not read the books, this would have been awesome! But I'm glad I did, because the are amazing, but this movie was a hack job! The WORST choice of actors possible! These people not only left stuff out, but they added stuff, moved stuff where it wasnt meant to be, and didnt reveal things that were explicitly revealed in the books! If they hadnt tried to cram so much into this movie, I might have enjoyed it more!
- I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it
Terrible adaption to my absolute favorite book series
As you can tell from my title I have read every Series of Unfortunate Events book.(Incuding The End).This really was quite a pathetic adaption.The movie shows just a tad of resemblance to the book.Even if it only was about the first three books,it seemed unfinished and because there probably won't be a sequel,to people who have not read the book series,the ending will be quite confusing.The actors were okay.Jim Carrey definitly is not a Count Olaf because everybody knows him for his comedic roles,but because he is a good actor it gave the movie attention.The orphans were well portrayed by their actresses and actor.The graphics are quite similar to the books' whimsical illustrations and that was good.But over-all it was a quite lame.
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
A good movie...
This was a good move... but I definitley like the books better. I'm giving a 4/5 'cause the books are alot better. I think this movie is appropriate for anyone 8+ that doesn't cry super-easily.
- I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it
BLEH
This movie is absolutely pointless and stupid. I love the books, but give me a BREAK...Count Olaf= JIM CARREY???? You have GOT to be kidding me...it was just dumb. A really bad adaption.
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
Good movie :)
It freaked my 9 yo brother out but I loved it. :)
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
i love it
I like Lemony Snicket books and all good series like Harry Potter and Lemony Snickets A Series Of Unfourtounate Events.
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
Absolutely Wonderful...
This movie is absolutely wonderful.
- I rate this title off for age 2 and give it
That was horrable.
I love the books of a series of unfortunate events, every one. I thought the movie would be awesome but then I saw it and it completely defied the books. It was really stupid and I think if your in the mood to be bored out of your mind with idioticness, this is the thing to watch.
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
- I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it
Watch it!
I didn't think they could turn Lemony Snickets first three books in to a movie that would actually be worth watching, but they did. Unlike most books in to movies, this is very much like the book, not exactly how it goes, but very close. Read the Books and watch the movie, it won't b a waste of time! not for 10 and under.
