Matt Damon remains one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood. Back in 2003, the Good Will Hunting actor was added to the fantasy adventure movie, The Brothers Grimm, instead of Johnny Depp who the producers considered not commercially famous. Damon was cast alongside the late Heath Ledger, and the actors played brothers Will and Jake Grimm in the film.
The Brothers Grimm turned out to be one of the biggest flops for the Ford v Ferrari actor. The film with high potential was marred by issues that occurred both on screen and behind the scenes.
Why Was The Brothers Grimm Matt Damon’s Worst Movie?
The Matt Damon-led movie had a promising premise of two con artist brothers confronting an evil force and saving innocent lives. The fairy tale story had the potential to make an excellent live-action movie, but The Brothers Grimm suffered due to its poor execution. According to Rotten Tomatoes critics’ consensus, the movie boasted beautiful imagery, but the story turned out to be “labored and less than enchanting”.
The Terry Gilliam-directed movie also encountered various behind-the-scenes issues between the director and the producers of the film, brothers Bob and Harvey Weinstein. The Weinsteins interfered in a number of decisions for the film, leading to disputes with the British director and even production shutdowns. Gilliam later recalled working on The Brothers Grimm:
“It’s not the film they wanted and it’s not quite the film I wanted. It’s the film that is a result of two groups of people, who aren’t working well together.”
Matt Damon was initially supposed to wear an expensive prosthetic nose for the film, but the Weinsteins were against it, as they wanted to portray their bankable star in certain beauty standards.
What Did Matt Damon and Heath Ledger Think About The Brothers Grimm?
Matt Damon and Heath Ledger were initially cast in opposite roles, but their roles were changed just before filming. The Departed actor’s performance also drew criticism for his fake theatrical dialect. However, both actors were excited about their involvement in the fantasy film.
The Air actor took on the project as he wanted to work with Terry Gilliam due to his love for the director’s film Time Bandits. Ledger was also a fan of Terry Gilliam’s work, especially his movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The Dark Knight actor, at the time, had a newfound appreciation for the fairy tale genre in Hollywood.
However, the cast was also disheartened about the issues going on with the film. The film’s release date was pushed back by months after Gilliam wanted the final cut privilege for the film, which the Weinsteins refused. About the dispute, Damon commented:
“I’ve never been in a situation like that. Terry was spitting rage at the system, at the Weinsteins. You can’t try and impose big compromises on a visionary director like him. If you try to force him to do what you want creatively, he’ll go nuclear.”
The film was doomed to fail from the filming stage itself as there was no consensus among the crew. It is difficult to point fingers at a single person for the box office disaster of the $105M movie. Perhaps the Weinsteins could have brought in a director who complied with their needs, or Terry Gilliam could have opted out of the film produced by people, who according to him, took the joy out of filmmaking. The movie is available for rent on AppleTV.
Source: Senses of Cinema
