Sacha Baron Cohen is no stranger do pushing boundaries in his films. From Borat to The Dictator to Bruno. Yet, there is something about his latest — The Brothers Grimsby — that not only pushes the cinematic comedy envelope, but breaks it completely and we mean that in the best of ways.
In The Brothers Grimsby, out now on DVD and Blu-Ray, Cohen is Nobby, an English football-loving hooligan who is convinced he has the most gorgeous girl in his hometown (Rebel Wilson) and has spawned the most gloriously foul-mouthed 11 kids this side of the Atlantic. But, something is missing.
When he was a child, he was separated from his little brother Sebastian and he has spent his whole life seeking a reunion. Through a stroke of luck, after fruitless years of searching, he learns that his little bro is going to be at some high falutin event in London and nothing can stop Nobby from being there. The only thing, Sebastian doesn’t want to be found. He’s MI6’s most lethal assassin and having his brother simply show up out of left field not only causes mayhem to ensue at the international fete, but finds his brother now charged with treason and the attempted assassination of a world leader.
The Brothers Grimsby now head out on the run, trying their best to clear their names and also get to the bottom of the international spy-centric mystery that has them wondering, “Who really pulled the trigger?”
As we stated in our theatrical The Brothers Grimsby review, Cohen and Stron g are fabulous together. There can no better straight man in a spy spoof than Strong, as it would be easy to see him playing a James Bond-type character on his resume. Cohen, meanwhile, has not been this out-there, balls-to-the-wall hilarious since Borat. There are mile a minute laughs through the film and numerous scenes that will have you simultaneously laughing out loud and covering your eyes and mouth from the absolute madness that Cohen has weaved in his comedic web on the big screen.
Some critics didn’t care for the film, but we think that sometimes Cohen and his comedy are an acquired taste and at our screening, the entire theater laughed wholeheartedly throughout. For fans of Cohen, this a don’t-miss Blu-Ray and DVD purchase… for no other reason than you will be laughing so hard, there are numerous secondary jokes that you will miss. It must be seen repeatedly. Not to mention, the bonus features are pretty awesome as well.
Two featurettes start off the bonus features on The Brothers Grimsby Blu-Ray that are must –sees. The first, The Making of The Brothers Grimsby features fascinating interviews with the cast and filmmakers that also managed to chronicle the production and delves into how on earth anyone made it through a take without ever busting out laughing!
The Making-of featurette also takes us behind-the-scenes into the “how did they do that” with the many actions scenes that permeate through Cohen’s latest. After all, one cannot have a spy spoof without scenes that rival 007 and his adventures.
There is one scene in particular that pushes things more than Cohen has ever before. We don’t want to give away a thing in this review, but let’s just say that you will want to witness The Elephant in the Room featurette to learn how that entire scene of comedic madness was achieved in the heart of Africa. Let’s just say this too after watching the scene in the film itself and seeing the how they made it bonus feature, one will never look at Strong the same way. He could (and probably will one day) win an Oscar and I, for one, will be imaging him and this elephant. ‘Nuff said.
The Line-O-Rama on this particular release is also quite enjoyable as anytime you’re dealing with a goof like Cohen, with his knack for improv, you’re going to get a Wheel-of-Fortune type menagerie of hilarity. And this Line-O-Rama does not disappoint. One would think that would be enough for the outtakes, but no, you would be wrong. They follow the Line-O-Rama with a blooper reel that is simply sensational.
Film: B
Bonus Features: B