‘The Brothers Grimsby’ holds on to a thin thread.
There’s a fine line between edgy and downright wrong; just ask The Brothers Grimsby. This washed-up comedy bites off more than it can chew, leaving you practically choking on extreme punch lines and less-than-pleasant obscenity. All the while, you continually ask yourself, “When am I supposed to laugh?”
The Brothers Grimsby follows the reunion of Noby Butcher, a soccer-crazed alcoholic with a family of 11, and the younger Sebastian Graves, a secret agent with well-rehearsed expertise. In their adolescence, the two brothers raged hell on the little fishing town of Grimsby in England. Now, 28 years after going their separate ways, Nobby manages to put Sebastian, as well as the whole world, in danger of extermination. The brothers must work side-by-side to remove the accusations against them, as well as prevent what could be an international crisis resulting in global disease.
With that being said, the storyline has a distinctive sense of originality. Its fierce and constantly moving rhythm makes it stand out as more than just your average buddy action comedy. Furthermore, Sacha Baron Cohen, known for his wildly unsettling humor in films such as Borat and The Dictator, has his name on the final script.
In other words, what could possibly go wrong?
As previously mentioned, the line between edgy humor and inappropriate babbling is lost somewhere within the 83-minute runtime of The Brothers Grimsby. It might have prevailed in Cohen’s previous work, but, for some strange and disappointing reason, the laughs in this lackluster film are out of pity rather than novelty. You can find all the proof that you need in this film’s portrayal of venomous injections “below the waist,” a sensual elephant encounter and even Daniel Radcliffe giving Donald Trump the HIV virus.
“The Brothers Grimsby, while seemingly having some funny moments in the trailer, turned out to be more of a let-down than anything,” said Andrew Stahl, a Hackensack native and long-time Cohen fan. “Although there is a certain audience that Sacha Baron Cohen’s movies cater to, which I am a part of, I felt as though I was waiting for good jokes that never came.”
Overall, it had plenty of action. It had a great storyline for a comedic feature-length. It even had somewhat of an ensemble cast, between Cohen, Mark Strong as Sebastian, Rebel Wilson as Noby’s wife and even Penelope Cruz as philanthropic actress Rhonda George. Nonetheless, The Brothers Grimsby continued to fall through the cracks. Why, you may ask? Because it kept making unnecessary jokes about people’s cracks.
The Brothers Grimsby is playing in theaters everywhere! Some local venues include AMC Clifton Commons 16 and AMC Loews Wayne 14. For a list of even more theaters and show times, visit fandango.com today!
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