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More crucially, while the film keeps the darkness of the books, it loses the playfully morbid anxiety that animates them. The books give you the impression that Lemony Snicket is constantly on the run or locked inside a prison, fearing for his life, but even though the film does suggest that Snicket is in hiding as he types out his story, Law's narration is so smooth that he doesn't seem to be in any danger at all—nor does he seem to share the sense of danger that the Baudelaires must feel. This anesthetizing effect is further enhanced by the gentle score, courtesy of Thomas Newman (American Beauty, Road to Perdition).

The Count will try anything to get his hands on the kids' inheritence

The film's relative soft-spokenness is, I suspect, due to the fact that director Brad Silberling is more interested in how people grieve and pick up the pieces after the loss of their loved ones than he is in all that other, wackier stuff. Every single one of his films to date has been about death, whether in forms cartoony (1995's Casper), sentimentally supernatural (1998's City of Angels) or dramatically semi-autobiographical (2002's Moonlight Mile), and it seems it is those parts of the books that resonate for him the best. And why not? The bond between the Baudelaire orphans is, after all, the emotional heart of these stories, and there is something quite stirring about the scenes in which Violet, Klaus and Sunny try to keep the memory of their parents alive.

Fans may also object to the way the film tries to tie things up a little too neatly, and in ways that might make it difficult for the filmmakers to adapt the later books. But then, who knows—it may be that the film also reveals secrets that have not been spelled out in the books, yet. Either way, we can be grateful that the series has given Carrey one of his better vehicles in recent years, and that Carrey has risen to the occasion so well.

Talk About It

1. Some of the characters talk about finding "sanctuary," or a safe place. What kind of safe places have you found? With whom do you feel safe? Family? Friends? Church? How do those places make you feel safe?
   
   
2. Violet believes in coincidence, but Klaus says things always happen for a reason. Do you agree? Why or why not? Which do you think is more comforting? Do you think Klaus finds out the reason for his parents' death? If so, do you think the reason he finds is a satisfying one?
   
   
3. Do you think the film presents a believable portrait of how people deal with grief? How have you dealt with grief in your own life? Do you think films that tell exaggerated tales of woe, such as this one, make those feelings harder or easier to deal with? What role does humor play in dealing with grief?

The Family Corner

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is rated PG for thematic elements, scary situations and brief language. A few people die, but the deaths take place off-screen. Count Olaf also tries to "marry" Violet in a public ceremony, but only because it will give him legal access to the fortune held in trust for her—there's nothing too creepy about it. The children paddle a boat through a lake filled with deadly eels, and in one scene, they also have to clean a kitchen filled with rats, worms, cockroaches—and bats!

Photos © Copyright Paramount Pictures

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events condenses the first few volumes of a popular children's book series into an outrageous, comical fantasy that gives Jim Carrey all the room he needs to create several bizarre, hilarious characters, including the ominous Count Olaf. The children who come into Olaf's care are sure to suffer some "unfortunate events." But audiences and critics seem to think that it all adds up to one rather fortunate event … even if the original plots of the storybooks were altered along the way.

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