I saw Borat on DVD several years ago, and while I thought parts of it were funny, I also found a lot of it to be too much. I didn’t bother with some of the other Sacha Baron Cohen films, but the trailer for Brother’s Grimsby seemed pretty funny. I rushed to the theater after work and caught an early showing, and walked out a little bit queasy.
Nobby (Sacha Baron Cohen) has been searching for his brother Sebastian (Mark Strong) for a long time and finally gets his chance to see him. Unfortunately, their reunion causes Sebastian, a successful spy, to botch a job and making him look like a double agent. The two are forced to team up in order to save the day.
The trailer shows a lot of the funniest parts of the films that don’t require excessive shock moments to make you laugh or squeamish. Not to mention that the trailer depicts a major moment in the film as though it happens much earlier, and that is becoming far too common a problem with trailers nowadays. I described one of the grosser scenes to my friend via text and he was shocked that it was it could possibly appear in a movie.
I don’t generally watch films that feature so much excessive explicit content, and I should have known going in that this film would feature so much. Then again, Mark Strong is a fairly respected actor who has done some great work often even getting the title of the only good aspect of “The Green Lantern.” Not to mention, that Sacha Baron Cohen has done some great roles in films that don’t require so much gouge-my-eyes-out content like “Hugo” and even “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.” Unfortunately, there were parts of this movie that I was debating whether or not I could write a review for it because people would then know that I saw it.
That said, I did laugh at moments. Not as many as I want to when I go to see a comedy, but more than my previous description would imply. Sadly, as I sit here typing and trying to recall the moments I laughed, I can only remember the moments where I looked away in disbelief at what I was seeing.
There were some impressive action scenes that look a lot like the trailer for Hardcore Henry. Not too surprising as director Louis Leterrier directed the first two “Transporter,” films and “Clash of the Titans” so his idea of action is stronger than his comedy.
Mark Strong did a fantastic job of keeping a straight face throughout this film and apparently taking it seriously. Cohen and Strong worked well together, but there wasn’t much content other than a discussion about an elephant…dear god…an elephant.
I’d say this film is not my cup of tea and often feels like watching the kid in class who desperately wants to be funny, but whose best material is arm pit farts. There is no question that The Brother’s Grimsby isn’t for everyone and it definitely didn’t do it for me as a comedy. Despite some of the short comings, I feel that this movie is Not a Total Waste of Time.
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