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Parents' Guide to

The Brothers Grimm

By Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Not a fairy tale. For teens and adults.

Movie PG-13 2005 118 minutes
The Brothers Grimm Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 6 parent reviews

This_is_amazing
This_is_amazing Adult
March 18, 2021
age 12+

The cat tho

Oh, mah goodness, I have been just reading the reviews for like a half-hour and I kid you not, more than half of you guys talked about that kitten! I'm laughing so hard at the reviews. It's graphic but y'all are like OBSESSED with this kitty. This movie has Matt Damon in it, so it isn't that bad. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him walkabout on camera. Maybe a little violent for younger viewers though, I wouldn't take my nephew to see it. He'd pee his bed every night for three weeks and I'd never be allowed to take him out for a fun day with me again. haha. Welp, I hope you all enjoy Matt Damon, (my future husband) as you watch this movie. :D

This title has:

Great role models
Too much violence
jcmcdowell
jcmcdowell Adult
December 24, 2019
age 13+

Entertaining, but incredibly weird!

This movie has a lot of entertainment and fairy tale violence, but it is very bizarre. The things that happen in this movie are supernatural, so they can’t happen in real life. It is a little too scary and upsetting for very young kids, but it is just fine for tweens and up. I feel like there’s a little bit of exaggeration in how violent it is, but I feel like it’s ok for kids who are 12, but they need to watch it with an adult. I liked it, but what made it so odd is that the things that happen are so supernatural, that they have bizarre outcomes that people would probably never even think of.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Wilhelm (Matt Damon) and Jacob Grimm (Heath Ledger) see the world differently: Will is skeptical, Jake more romantic. But they're partners as con artists, purporting to banish ghosts and witches for money, rigging "scenes" with theatrical tricks (ropes, mirrors, pulleys, costumes) so their peasant clients believe their money is well-spent. The brothers begin to question their career and other choices when they come on what appears a real curse, the disappearance of 10 girls into the Marbaden forest in French-occupied Germany.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (13 ):

The brothers' initial journey is suitably spooky: trees' roots grab at them, a giant wolf shadows them, and a cursed horse literally gulps down a child. The fact that the very land is rising up against invaders is of a piece with the film's thematic interest in occupation, of bodies as well as locations. They eventually do battle with the powerful Mirror Queen (Monica Bellucci), by putting their props to practical use.

Sometimes clever, mostly discombobulated, THE BROTHERS GRIMM re-conceives the lives of the storytellers in order to ponder the very nature of storytelling. The film is most effective as an antic meditation on storytelling, a favorite theme of director Terry Gilliam. Ehren Kruger's script teases together any number of references to the Grimm's tales, some obvious fits, more often weird. As he prepares Jake to confront the Queen, with the homemade armor that's not really magic ("It's just shiny," he confesses), Will worries, "Nothing makes sense here, it's like being inside Jake's head." But the broader sense lies in The Brothers Grimm's connections between politics and storytelling, showmanship and survival.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the brothers' complicated and changing relationship. How do they represent two positions on magic and faith? How does their relationship form a ground for the plot, as they deal with surprising tests of their beliefs systems? How does Angelika serve simultaneously as romantic object and intrepid adventurer?

Movie Details

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