Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Reviewed by:
Tony McMenamin

Imagine losing your parents and your home in a fire, then living with Jim Carrey as your legal guardian. This is the cruel double blow dealt the three Baudelaire siblings in this adaptation of the best-selling books by Lemony Snicket. Orphaned and homeless, the three kids are shepherded off to their closest relative, the fiendish Count Olaf (Carrey), who makes it clear he's only after their inheritance by trying to bump off the little tykes. But the kids, channeling Macaulay Culkin, battle back with their special talents: 14-year-old Violet is a world-famous inventor, 12-year-old Klaus has a wealth of knowledge thanks to years spent devouring books, and toddler Sunny has prodigious biting skills. Having survived Olaf's first attempt on their lives, the children are then shuttled from one disturbed relative (a reptile-crazed uncle) to another (a paranoid aunt played by Meryl Streep), all the while trying to escape the clutches of the count. With his trademark elastic face, Carrey excels in this darkly humorous adventure. But it's the Tim Burton–esque fantastical settings and surreal effects that make this more than a kiddie flick.