Rebel Wilson has met her match. Just one movie after I asked “what do you do with Rebel Wilson?” Sacha Baron Cohen answered the call: the only way to subdue the over-the-top comedienne is to meet the outrageousness with outrageousness. Worried about Rebel’s mouth? Have a scene in a which you catch a baby watching “South Park.” Worried about her promiscuity? Have a scene of a man going oral on Gabourey Sidibe. Something bigger than that? You don’t even want to know what – let me just ask, has there ever been a scene shot from the inside of an elephant’s uterus? Bottom line – lesson to young directors – if you want to mute Rebel Wilson, simply trump her over-the-toplessness.
Are you offended yet? No, well, we better try harder then. In the grand tradition of English envelope-pushing humor, The Brothers Grimsby reunites long lost orphans Nobby (Cohen) and Sebastian (Mark Strong). I would consider very carefully before attaching myself to any film written by Sacha Baron Cohen – do you want people to see you as an uncompromising no-nonsense badass or the guy who teabagged SBC in that stupid Grimsby movie? On the latter – do we point out that “sucking out the poison” is something NOT recommended by anybody with an ounce of medical training (including secret agents)? Nah, let ‘em have their teabagging fun. How often do you take a poison dart to the balls, anyway?
Nobby has been searching for estranged brother Sebastian for almost three decades since the two were prepubescent lads. The joke here is that while Nobby has become a crude simpleton soccer hooligan welfare cheat with ridiculous mismatched sideburns, Sebastian is James Bond. Nobby gets wind that Sebastian will be at a U.N. function. I’m sorry, how? How would an average Liam-upon-Heddonshire possibly get wind of a particular MI6 black ops agent being at a certain function? HOW? Ok, putting aside that HUGE leap of faith, Nobby distracts Sebastian and instead of foiling a public murder, Sebastian’s errant shot gives aids to Daniel Radcliffe. (Just a double; the real Radcliffe wasn’t in the film) Read that errant shot sentence again if you must; I’m not repeating it. Bottom line and what qualifies for plot – Sebastian is blamed as an agent gone bad and has to hide out in Nobby’s one-horse town of Grimsby until he can figure out how to clear his name. Aren’t reunions sweet?
Say, what is “Nobby” short for, anyway? “Norbert?” “Nobility?” “Doorknob?” Is it a mispronunciation become fact? Feel free to chime in; this is 
one I’d much rather hear straight from somebody who knows than research on this particular topic.
Here’s something I don’t get – these are the Butcher Boys – Nobby and Sebastian Butcher. They lived in an orphanage in the town of Grimsby. Why not title pic The Butcher Brothers? Or why not give them the surname Grimsby from the start? And are you trying to cash in on The Brothers Grimm? You do realize that movie was a pile of crap, right? Forget it; they’re rolling.
I’m a little perplexed by middle-of-the-road ratings here (and even my own if it comes to that). Like most of Sacha Baron Cohen’s work, you likely either find The Brothers Grimsby hilarious or you walk out of the theater. To tell the truth, this film isn’t quite as outrageous as Borat or The Dictator. Maybe SBC is slowing down in his old age. Then again, elephant uterus.
Nobby and Sebby reunited at last
Time to make up fo lost time of the past
Nobby and Sebby getting shot at by pros
What did they do to earn these kind of foes?
Watch Nobby suckle at Sebby’s sac
Once you go strychnine, you never go back
Sebby and Nobby in a pachyderm hole
Don’t you dare envy this acting role
Rated R, 83 Minutes
D: Louis Leterrier
W: Sacha Baron Cohen & Phil Johnston & Peter Baynham
Genre: Making you wince
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: The remaining Python members
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Thin-skinned folk
