I was drawn to this movie after reading all the Lemony Snicket books to my children. It was a disappointment throughout.<br /><br />Jim Carrey is at his hammy worst. His Count Olaf isn't the shrewdly evil menace created by Mr. Snicket; he's a clown in need of ritalin. In contrast, Violet and Klaus Baudelaire drone through their adventures without expression. These unfortunate young actors were in need of some on-set guidance; clearly director Brad Silberling wasn't up to the task. Despite their predictable escapes from inescapable situations, the kids' intelligence characterized in the books never comes through in the movie. And poor Sunny is reduced to boorish attempts at comic relief. Rather than adding insight or contributing to the siblings' successes (again, as in the books), Sunny's baby talk is subtitled with witless one-liners taken not from Mr. Snicket's clever writing, but conjured by screenwriters looking for a cheap laugh. (Sunny: ((baby talk)), Subtitle: "What a schmuck!" or "Back off, Parrotface!") Thankfully, whatever fart jokes the writers scripted for her were edited from the final cut. But the filmmakers were surely delighted to have Sunny threaten to bite Olaf in the crotch. (After sinking her teeth into his leg, Subtitle: "I'll bite higher!") Is there anything less appealing than the thought of a baby attaching her mouth to a man's genitals? Timothy Spall is fine but insignificant as Mr. Poe, the children's ineffective trustee. As is Katherine O'Hara as Justice Strauss. The movie's only charming character is Billy Connelly's Uncle Monty. But alas, he is (spoiler) snuffed out before his time. Too bad we can't say the same about the entire flick.