Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events is the short attention span answer to the Harry Potter books. I’d have to say that I didn’t really find much to like in the Lemony Snicket series with the exception of the main premise, which is three orphans struggling to survive a series of unfortunate events. The books are thin on plot or dialog so when they announced a film based on the series, you could color me unimpressed.
Of course, a funny thing happened on the way to the straight-to-video bin and that thing was Jim Carrey. Few could argue Jim Carrey’s appeal considering that he is among Hollywood’s highest paid stars. With amazingly colorful turns in such notable films as The Truman Show, Man in the Moon, and The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Carrey is a theatrical chameleon, capable of shining regardless of the genre.
Lemony Snicket would not be the movie that it is without the talents of Mr. Carrey. Without him it would be a poor stopgap as we wait for the next installment in the Harry Potter series. With him it is a shining example of books that take on new life when brought to the screen. You’d have to go back to Forrest Gump to see a story that was better as a film than as a book. If this is what we can expect from future films in the Lemony Snicket series, you can count me among the fans eagerly anticipating the next installment.