Movie isn't Gilliam's best

How can the life and works of the Brothers Grimm be turned Hollywood and made into a decent two-hour film? If Terry Gilliam (whose past directing credits include "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," "Twelve Monkeys" and "Monty Python and the Holy Grail") can't do it, then maybe it can't be done. \nAccording to historical accounts, in the early 19th century, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm spent years traveling and collecting stories of folklore and turning them into the classic fairy tales we all know today, and both moved on to teach at the University of Berlin. The film version includes little if any factual information about the Grimm brothers, and their fairy tales are slightly referenced, with only minor cameos by Little Red Riding Hood, the Big Bad Wolf, the Gingerbread Man, Hansel and Gretel, Rupunzel and a handful of magic beans. \nIn the film version, the cynical, womanizing Will (Damon) and the scholarly dreamer Jacob (Ledger) are con artists traveling to various French-occupied German towns and ridding them of supposed evil spirits, which are nothing more than their cohorts in disguise. The brothers' scam is somehow detected by a French general, Delatombe (Jonathan Pryce), and rather than killing them he sends the duo to investigate a matter of disappearing children in the small town of Marbaden. Comic relief comes in the form of the general's right-hand man Cavaldi (Stormare), who accompanies them to make certain the job gets done. The following events revolve around a series of adventures through an enchanted forest, with little forming in the way of a plot. \nIt is not entirely clear what type of film "Brothers" is attempting to be, whether it be a buddy action pic, a playful comedy or a fantasy flick. The root of this film's problem lies in its story, which is not at all engaging, and even by the end the movie, the plot still makes little sense. Furthermore, should we cheer for these heroic brothers for trying to rescue the kidnapped girls, or should we despise them for tricking unsuspecting towns out of their money?\n"The Brothers Grimm" is a far cry from the popular fairy tales. Whereas the Grimms' stories taught strict morals and life lessons, the film has little in the way of a message. Due to difficulties, director Terry Gilliam actually halted production of "Brothers" for nearly a year to complete his film "Tideland." It promises to be a much more ambitious work.