Older movie (2004 I believe), but here it is anyway…
The Good
It has Jim Carrey in it, and I always admit my fear of him. Don’t get me wrong; when he is on, there may not be a funnier person alive. But when he’s not… ew.
And let’s just say that he was on in Lemony Snicket. Every time he came on screen, I laughed. Every time he opened his mouth, I laughed. Every time I think about his antics even now, I laugh. It’s fairly easy in my mind to see this as one of my more favorite performances he’s ever done, and much like Alan Rickman is forever Snape, I think that Jim Carrey will forever be Count Olaf. Hilarious.
And just wait for the dinosaur. You’ll know it when you see it, but I laughed so hard that I cried.
The film was also strangely intriguing. I say this because it felt Tim Burton-esque, and I do not like Tim Burton with the exception of Big Fish. But this was different. I think the cast of big names (Jude Law, Meryl Streep, Billy Connolly) really helped add some legitimacy that always to lack in Burton films, especially since those three right there are high on my list of favorites. And no, I really don’t want to get into a discussion of why I dislike Burton films. I just do. And yes, I recognize I’m in the minority. 🙂
The little girl… hilarious. She, in addition to Carrey, kept what was desperately trying to be a dark film a truly enjoyable and funny experience. We laughed regularly, loud, and long.
The Bad
Uh… It was too short? I know, I know… That’s not really a bad thing, but I honestly kept hoping that it would just keep going. I really wanted it to last another hour or so.
It has some intense scenes that would frighten smaller children, but other than that… It’s really hard for me to pull out anything else truly bad.
Conclusion
The joy of a positive rating! This is one I have no trouble stamping with a solid seal of approval and a strong 4 stars. In my opinion, one of the signs of a good book is when you sit back and say that it’d make a great movie. This is the opposite: you sit back after watching the movie and think that it’d make an even better book.
Fortunately for us, an entire series of Lemony Snicket books are already out there, and you can be sure that I will be reading and quite probably buying every last one. And here’s hoping that the movies find a long life as well.
The Prodigal 
I loved Big Fish! Cracked me up. The only reason I don’t own it is because of the swimming lady who is wearing nothing but water.
We do own Series of Unfortunate Events, but I still haven’t sat down and watched it. I’ll be sure to do that. 😀
Oh, did you ever watch Fun with Dick and Jane? That movie made me laugh so hard. Another Jim Carrey one. I hated The Mask. Too hyper. Not a fan of Ace Ventura either.