The Brothers Grimsby – Movie Review

The Brothers Grimsby – R
Release Date: Fri 11 Mar 2016

Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest scripted comedy, The Brothers Grimsby, is the tale of two brothers separated in childhood. While Nobby (Cohen) has become a soccer-loving family man, Sebastian (Mark Strong) has become an elite spy for MI6. The two are reunited a Sebastian grudgingly accepts his older brother’s offer of help and haven.

The Brothers Grimsby manages to buck the trend of showing the best jokes and the majority of the plot in the trailer. The story focuses on Nobby and Sebastian and doesn’t get hung up on pulling in lots of other characters for more than a few brief appearances. Penelope Cruz and Rebel Wilson are only in a handful of scenes, and Ian McShane is essentially a cameo.

There are some great point-of-view (POV) action sequences, and overall the action scenes are well shot and choreographed throughout. The comedy is a blend of spy/thriller one-liners and Sacha Baron Cohen’s trademark: uncomfortable body humor. If the wrestling scene in Borat was too much for you, stay FAR away from The Brothers Grimsby. There are several of those scenes, and they make Borat look PG-13 by comparison.

If you’re a fan of Sacha Baron Cohen’s comedy, you’re likely to enjoy the fast pace and consistently outrageous Brothers Grimsby. Everyone else is probably better off not experiencing the excruciatingly awkward body humor that has become Cohen’s trademark.

Aaron, Cal, and I saw it in the theater and had a discussion in the car: