Sacha Baron Cohen's 'The Brothers Grimsby' is foul and obscene, and I loved every second of it
Sony
I went into Sacha Baron Cohen’s new movie, “The Brothers Grimsby,” with zero expectations, and I left having laughed uncontrollably for 83 straight minutes.
Yes, I’m shocked, too.
I haven’t really enjoyed anything the comedian has done since his 2006 hit “Borat,” but he has rebounded nicely here following the duds “Bruno” and “The Dictator.”
The best thing about “The Brothers Grimsby” is that it’s a hard-R-rated comedy that never slacks on being completely offensive — in the best way.
Baron Cohen plays Nobby, an English hoodlum from the town of Grimsby who spends his days getting drunk, watching English football, and making babies. His brother, Sebastian (Mark Strong), is an MI6 agent who has been estranged from his brother for 28 years. A chance encounter brings them back together, and Nobby ends up being Sebastian’s right-hand man for his next mission.
Honestly, the film’s plot isn’t why you are going to pay money to see this movie, so let’s get to why you would.
The jokes come often and, in Baron Cohen’s style, have a how-are-they-getting-away-with-this quality.
SonyIn one bit, a young boy with AIDS speaking at a world health summit is shot accidentally by Sebastian, and we watch the blood travel from the boy’s wound into the mouth of another attendee, “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe (yes, Daniel Radcliff, played by a lookalike, gets AIDS in this movie, but so does Donald Trump).
Then there’s a sequence in which, to escape from the bad guys, Nobby and Sebastian hide inside an elephant, then encounter other elephants. I’ll just leave it at that. If you need more, Baron Cohen showed the scene on Jimmy Kimmel and it got this reaction.
A pleasant surprise is the believable action, specifically the scenes in which we take the point of view of Nobby and Sebastian as they are kicking butt. We can thank the talents of director Louis Leterrier, who also did the first two “Transporter” films and “Now You See Me.”
Many are tired of Baron Cohen’s shtick, and I admittedly thought I was one of them, but “The Brothers Grimsby” has made me a fan again. Yes, he makes idiotic movies, but if you have around 80 minutes and love unapologetic, crude humor, this is the movie for you.
And though box office will dictate if this comes true, I would not be shocked if there’s a sequel. The movie has all the makings of a franchise.
I’m not kidding.
"The Brothers Grimsby" opens in theaters Friday.
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