Reader Review: 'Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus'

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Starring Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, and Lily Cole Directed by Terry Gilliam Rated PG-13 Review by Gordon Gravy

Hey Big Picture Readers, It’s Gordon Gravy here with a special review of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, a movie Colin Boyd didn’t have time to see. And I’ll tell you what: You might not have time to see it, either. Yep, this movie is nearing the end of its theatrical run because you all decided to give your money to James Cameron and see Avatar. Well, if you have a few bucks left over, or just cashed in some aluminum cans or something, you should definitely consider tossing some coin Terry Gilliam’s way. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Just like that overblown epic starring a bunch of computer generated blue-people, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus was meant to be seen on the big-screen. Maybe not IMAX-big, because you would surely see how miniscule the effects budget was, but definitely something bigger than your reasonably large 1080p plasma television at home. Director Terry Gilliam, back in fine form after the studios pasteurized him a few years ago, packs the “worlds” of his movie with just as much spectacle as Pandora and even gives his contemporary Tim Burton a run for the money, especially when it comes to oddity-factor. The first of two universes represented in this movie is “the real world”, dark and dirty as it is. This is where our protagonist, an aging Dr. Parnassus, finds himself surrounded by those who depend on him. People like his daughter Valentina (played by the unbelievably scrumptious Lily Cole), or his jesters Anton and Percy (the latter a dwarf played by Verne Troyer of Austin Powers fame). They are a rag-tag bunch of gypsies passing from town to wretched town in their ancient horse drawn carriage hoping to make a few bucks here and there by entertaining the local drunks leaving the bars at night. Ironically, Parnassus is himself a drunk, self-medicating to escape some unspoken burdens leaving the rest of his troupe to do the heavy lifting when it comes to the performing. Consequently, they are booed out of town more often than they find cash paying customers, and the little audience they are able to scrape up hardly realizes that stashed on board this rickety carriage is a mirror that has magical powers; it acts as a portal into the good doctor’s mind, a place where imagination runs wild and he is not effected by age or drink. It is in this second universe - The Imaginarium - that Gilliam goes completely ape-shit, treating his audience to Avatar-like visuals. Well, if he had unlimited resources that is. At any rate there are several moments where the viewer wishes that a big notice appeared on the screen instructing the audience to “please put on 3-D glasses now” as a character prepared to pass through the mirror. Perhaps wisely, Gilliam lingers for far too long in the dreary "real-world," and not nearly long enough in the “Imaginarium," making us appreciate it that much more on those occasions that we finally arrive there. Gilliam also waits far too long to introduce the character of Tony played by Heath Ledger. It’s quite possible that many paying theater patrons, people curious to see the final brilliant performance of this gifted actor will have already walked out of the building long before Ledger makes his entrance nearly 40 minutes into the film, especially if this is their first date with a Gilliam picture. In another strange bit of irony, Tony is believed to be dead when we first meet him, hanging from a bridge. His performance as an amnesiac and potential suitor to Dr. Parnassus’ lovely daughter (who rescues him like a lost puppy) is quite good, and he even manages to reinvigorate the stage play with new life while finding plenty of paying customers. But we never quite trust his intentions as Ledger oozes a sort of used car salesman sleaze that would make any father want to hide his voluptuous young prize of a daughter. Indeed, Valentina provides physical visuals almost more captivating than those found in the Imaginarium. Could Tony be the man to rescue her from the life of a simple carnie? This is not a Heath Ledger movie, sorry to say Big Picture Readers, but a Terry Gilliam affair. The legions of fans Ledger won over with his performance as The Joker will likely be let down; his screen time is quite limited because he died half way through its production, replaced at certain points in the film by journeyman, manic performances by Jude Law, Johnny Depp and Colin Farrell. Since their appearances come on the other side of the magic mirror the gimmick works to an extent, at least within the logic of the film. But the arrival of these big stars so late in the movie becomes a bit of a distraction more than anything. From a performance standpoint, the real stars of the movie are Christopher Plummer as Dr. Parnassus and Tom Waits as his mysterious tormentor Mr. Nick, who appears from time to time to discuss various wagers they have made throughout the millennia. When it comes down to it then, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus can be boiled down to a gentlemen’s war between a god and a devil (though not The God and The Devil, methinks) and the mortals whose lives their actions effect on a daily basis. You have the god protecting his own mind and his daughter’s virtue, while the devil is trying desperately to infiltrate both of those things by any means necessary, even if it means planting his own sleazy used-car salesman of a son right in the thick of things to do so. It is all quite heady and oh so Terry Gilliam. In the end however, in spite of all the wonderful performances, spectacular visuals and a mad-cap story, this film feels a little bit incomplete. I suppose that this is because of the challenges Mr. Gilliam faced in getting it made in the first place, which forces one to wonder what he could do if say, for example, his leading man didn’t expire before the end of principle photography. Does being presented with these sorts of unique challenges make Gilliam a better director? Or would having unlimited resources and a trouble free production schedule like James Cameron or Tim Burton always seem to have give birth to something truly special from the troubled career of Terry Gilliam? Only time will tell Big Picture readers, but The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is definitely a step in the right direction, and the best Terry Gilliam movie since 12 Monkeys. Wishing you infinite one-dollar re-fills at the snack bar, this has been Gordon Gravy sharing his wisdom. Thanks for reading.

Comments

[Will]

So Gordon...How many Damn Dirty Apes do you give this thing?

[Gordon Gravy]

Well, I am so glad that you asked! 'Imaginarium' is a very interesting movie but it is by no means a perfect movie. So, on a scale of 1-5 DDA's (Or "Gravy Boats" if Colin has a copyright on the whole "DDA" thing), I give it 3.

[Carv]

PLANT!

Just kidding. Keep up the great work, man. Nice job.

[SEAN]

Great review Gordon Gravy!!!
-Never heard of you until now & I'm glad I did....

I saw the film just recently & thought it was good. Gilliam is sure stepping up his efforts & The Man Who Killed Don Quixote will be unbelievable, if a good actor is cast...

I did feel the same the film did seem incomplete....
-All the performances were spot on....Heath, Colin, Jude, Johnny, & the supermodel doll face of Lily Cole was quite a pleasant surprise!
--Of course Chris Plummer delivered, & Tom Waits is always reliable, & I really like relatively newcomer Andrew Garfield, who will be a huge star once The Facebook film comes out.....

I did feel like it was slow starting but picked up in Act 2 & felt better along the way, the visuals were amazing especially based on a limited budget, I enjoyed myself

[Lengthy Johnson]

Ok. At what point did the movie go off the rails?

Every Gilliam movie goes off the rails at one point or another.

Except The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, which is never on the rails at all.

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