THE BROTHERS GRIMSBY (2016)

Genre: Comedy
Director: Louis Letterier
Cast: Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Isla Fisher, Rebel Wilson, Gabourey Sidibe, Annabelle Wallis, Ian McShane, Scott Adkins, Tamsin Egerton, Penélope Cruz
Runtime: 1 hr 22 mins
Rating: R21 (Sexual Humor)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 10 March 2016

Synopsis: This spring, the only thing more dangerous than the world's greatest spy is his brother. Don't miss the hilarious new comedy by Sacha Baron Cohen! Nobby (Sacha Baron Cohen), a sweet but dimwitted English football hooligan, reunites with his long-lost brother Sebastian (Mark Strong), a deadly MI6 agent, to prevent a massive global terror attack and prove that behind every great spy is an embarrassing sibling. Nobby has everything a man from Grimsby could want, including 11 children and the most gorgeous girlfriend in the northeast of England (Rebel Wilson). There’s only one thing missing: his little brother, Sebastian, who Nobby has spent 28 years searching for after they were separated as kids. Nobby sets off to reunite with Sebastian, unaware that not only is his brother MI6’s deadliest assassin, but he’s just uncovered plans for an imminent global terrorist attack. On the run and wrongfully accused, Sebastian realizes that if he is going to save the world, he will need the help of its biggest idiot.

Movie Review:

This reviewer remembers the apprehension when he attended the preview screening of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (yup, that is the official full title of the 2006 comedy). What is this Sacha Baron Cohen trying to do, all dressed up as a scruffy moustached brute waving a small American flag? Not much was known about the English actor, except that he was quite funny playing Ali G, a stereotype of a white man who imitates rap culture as as well as urban and British Jamaican culture. 

Ah, the rude shock this writer was in. Borat was a complete hoot. Although the Oscar nominated film (yes, the controversial film was up for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2007) contains countless embarrassingly rude moments, it is one of those movies which this columnist would literally LOL (laugh out loud) upon repeated viewings.

Baron Cohen then went on to play Bruno Gehard (a flamboyantly gat Austrian fashion icon) in 2009’s Bruno, Admiral General Aladeen (a childish, tyrannical and sexist politician) in 2012’s The Dictator, and in his most family friendly role - voicing King Julien XIII in the Madagascar movies (2005-2012). Yup, he’s the dude who got the whole “I Like To Move It Move It” movement.

Hmm, after three paragraphs and we’re still not talking about the 44 year old actor’s latest work directed by Louis Leterrier? You see, it is a familiar return to the kind of rude humour that Baron Cohen is (in)famously known for, and there isn't really much we can say without sounding offensive. He plays a man from the English town of Grimsby, which is not a location which the local toursim board would strongly promote) who has spent almost his whole life searching for his younger brother. When a situation brings the two siblings together, they must depend on each other to, ahem, save the world.

As ridiculous as the story written by Phil Johnston, Peter Baynham and Baron Cohen himself sounds, it is difficult to imagine how far fetched the jokes would go. Gosh, you have to watch this yourself to find out. Without giving too much away, let’s just say a biology TV documentary Baron Cohen’s character (Nobby) asks his 11 (yes, you read that right) kids to watch will be linked to one of the outrageously LOL sequences we’ve seen in a while. 

Then there are those moments where the filmmakers go step into the sensitive boundaries of race (watch out for a scene featuring Gabourey Sidibe, best known for her Best Actress nominated work in 2009’s Precious), HIV (sorry, Daniel Radcliffe and Donald Trump) and a staple serving of toilet jokes. 

Will this go down well with viewers? Without sounding rude, it really depends on your personal taste and tolerance for this genre. This writer had one hell of a time LOL-ing, and he remembers most of the audiences laughing along as well. 

It sure helps that the movie directed by Louis Leterrier is kept short and sweet at 82 minutes, and co stars Mark Strong, Isla Fisher, Rebel Wilson, Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane looked like they too, had one hell of a time being involved in the movie. This is the kind of movie that works best if you want to chase away some stress induced blues.

Movie Rating:

(Let go your inhibitions and be prepared for one hell of a LOL movie experience)

Review by John Li