Grimsby

I would be interested in knowing if Penélope Cruz knew when she signed on to this project that she would appear in the same film as Mark Strong’s testicles, Gabourey Sidibe’s crotch and a hectolitre of elephant ejaculate. The film succeeds in presenting all of the above without coming across as a random sequence of gags (though it’s not far from it) and without the punchline (always) consisting in the distastefulness or imbecility of the given joke. With his guileless rejection of what is proper in a civilised society, Cohen’s Nobby, proudly claiming to be English scum, fulfils a purpose similar to that of the earlier Ali G and Borat – he shows the pretence in which all intellectuals, petty bourgeois and snobs live, as they reveal their true face and true intentions when confronted with a man whom they despise too much to take seriously (among other things, this year’s American presidential election showed us what that can lead to). The other characters are (unintentionally) led to being exposed by Nobby, and the viewer is then (intentionally) led by the redneck jokes, which are drawn out to the point of absurdity. Sure, The Brothers Grimsby is very much a hit-or-miss affair, the editing could have been less frantic and the seriously depicted flashbacks (and the whole storyline about the importance of family) disrupt the pace and tone of the narrative, but I still found it funnier and more subversive than most mainstream comedies. The fourth star is for giving Donald Trump AIDS. 70%. (21.11.2016)

Sometimes good, but sometimes intentionally brutally disgusting. So disgusting, in fact, that it goes beyond disgust. And I deliberately played this comedy right after Animal with Belmondo to realize what kind of comedies were made back then and what kind of comedies are made today. And I have to admit that I much prefer the kind of comedies they madeback then. Now they only seem to be fighting for their moment in the sun by trying to fit as many disgusting things as possible on an eight-millimeter film. (11.07.2016)

Sacha Baron Cohen goes a little farther (or, ahem, deeper) with each film, and this time it was a little too far (deep) for my tastes in places. But what can I say, I had more fun than with Bruno and a bit more than with The Dictator, and I think that once in a while a comedy like this doesn't hurt either. My admiration goes to Mark Strong, who went all in. (04.02.2020)

Some really juicy and delicious jokes (Radcliffe and Trump, "Do you have to shoot at everything?!") side by side with Mr. Cohen's overt sexual deviance and all manner of anal exploitation, which, while it makes you laugh heartily now and then, is life-threatening to eat with the film, watch it after a romantic dinner, and sometimes just watch it – things have been going downhill with Cohen and his originality since Borat, straight towards constantly surpassing the extremes of imaginary comedic (dis)taste, but on the other hand, after the terrible Bruno, Sacha manages to produce a story that holds together and, by engaging A-list actors, proves that the film world simply can’t find a more entertaining and flashy presentation of boorishness and imbecility anywhere else than his. A big thumbs up to Mark Strong, who also knows how to make a proper joke out of himself and obviously enjoyed this unprecedented ass-riding as much as I did for the most part. 65% (27.06.2016)

Sacha Baron Cohen once again boldly pushes the boundaries of film humor and tests what else the audience can endure. I had a really good time, although I admit that for many people, it will be hard to tolerate this film. For some it may be Comedy of the Year, for others embarrassing and disgusting hogwash. I recommend the film especially if you have a sense for black, vulgar and incorrect humor, you often go to the cinema, you've seen and can endure a lot of stuff, you find most comedies to be not very good or harsh enough, and you liked Cohen's previous films. The Cohen - Strong brotherly duo works great. (10.03.2016)

This was a really wild ride! Filled with fecal humor, offbeat action, village boors, disgusting obscenities, allusions to sexual minorities and practices, and in fact sex in general, and featuring scenes that you're unlikely to find in any other movie (the elephant mating and poison vs. testicles, for example), unless Sacha Baron Cohen is starring or writing the script again. Surprisingly, the seemingly mismatched lead pairing of Cohen and Jeremy Strong ended up having some chemistry, and as a result, the two actors complemented each other well. The supporting cast also amused me, in particular about Rebel Wilson ("I'm not pregnant. I'm just fucking fat!") and Gabourey Sidibe. I was also amused by the fake-cameos of Daniel Radcliffe and Donald Trump, as well as the allusions to the characters' resemblance to real persons. In short, a film that isn't quite for everyone, as the level of fecklessness occasionally went sky-high, but nonetheless, I was personally amused (and even disgusted). (01.08.2016)

I consider the moments when I unexpectedly snorted with laughter at Grimsby to be some of the darkest moments of my life, but then again, there's a bit of the Australopithecus running through everyone's genome. Otherwise, the no-frills humor and total surrendering of basic standards of taste aren't exactly the main problem. The stumbling block is not the content of the individual jokes, but their form. After most of them, we get a second to laugh (even with the music suddenly turned off, for example) and you get the impression that someone must have cut the film at the last minute to remove a funny face and studio cackle from Cohen after each one. Maybe that's why the film is thankfully an endurable 80 minutes. Compared to the previous two pieces in last year's trio of spy parodies (Kingsman, Spy), Grimsby surprisingly doesn't manage much in the way of action, which amounts to (not just compared to the perfect Hardcore Henry) snoozing POV or haphazardly cut fight scenes, where especially with Scott Adkins fight it’s a real letdown since the guy is such a badass that there's no need to cover anything up at all. Which actually matches the film's main problem, which is that parodying spy movies takes a back seat to Cohen's buffoonery throughout the entire film, which must have been a post-production decision given the untapped potential of many of the characters (the activation of Agent Chilcott in particular has an introduction like a rap song, but that storyline completely fizzles out). In short, a bummer. But there's always Rebel Wilson taking her shirt off again, so... (29.06.2016)

Along with The Dictator, the best thing Cohen has made.  A cocktail of engaging action scenes with sophisticated as well as scatological humor that oddly works as a whole. Plus, the cast is very interesting, resulting in a well-made and unpretentious comedy. (09.07.2016)

When I watched the movie "Grimsby," I couldn't believe what else Sacha Baron Cohen could come up with. The scene with the elephants completely knocked me out, and I was entertained until the end. It's a crazy ride, crazy nonsense, but simply a movie that managed to lift my mood, even though I wasn't in a particularly bad mood. (06.06.2016)

In any other movie, I simply wouldn't bear such a load of over-the-top sick humor, and maybe wouldn't even watch it until the end. Given Cohen’s existing work, I paradoxically expected much more of The Grimsby Brothers. The movie is terribly unbalanced, and even though it is very short, a lot of dull moments crop up here and there, as well as humor which is way off (meaning unfunny and idiotic). Then again, many scenes were really incredible and I don’t think I will get them out of my head any time soon (I'll probably steer clear of certain zoo enclosures for the rest of my life). Plus, there is a surprising number of well-shot action scenes in the movie. What's worse is the story, which just isn’t any good, just like the supporting "acting performances". It is compensated by the two leads who are unexpectedly well-suited for one another. Overall, it’s hard to comment on the movie, you have to see it. That is, if you have the stomach for that and at least a bit of a flair for the perverse. (10.03.2016)