Grimsby (2016)

"Grimsby" (The Brothers Grimsby in the U.S.) stars Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Rebel Wilson, Isla Fisher, and Penelope Cruz. Released in the United Kingdom on February 24, 2016 and in the United States on March 11, 2016, the film is about a British football hooligan who reunites with his little brother, a secret MI6 agent who is on a mission to save the world from a sinister plot.

The film is directed by Louis Leterrier, who also directed films such as The Transporter, Unleashed, The Incredible Hulk, and Now You See Me. Over the years, Sacha Baron Cohen has entertained his audiences with his hilarious, but offensive, films, ranging from Ali G Indahouse in 2002 to The Dictator in 2012. I remembered watching The Dictator back in theaters when it first came out and I thought it was OK. So now we have his fifth outing that takes Cohen's crude humor to the spy genre. From the moment I saw the trailer, I pretty much knew what I was going to expect from this film: some R-rated laughs. But is it enough to get the job done?

Pros:
The performances were decent, but not memorable.

The humor was hit-and-miss. Some of it was hilarious and some of it was just plain weird.

The running time was acceptable (83 minutes long).

Cons:
The narrative structure felt rushed, especially during the first act.

Weak and predictable storyline.

Lack of character depth.

Some of the jokes can be offensive to some audiences.
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Final thoughts: Sacha Baron Cohen does what he does best in "Grimsby", but the amount of laughs aren't enough to cover up its rushed narrative, weak story and its small amount of character depth. It wasn't what I was expecting it to be, except for Cohen's raunchy, comical humor, but I would give this film props for being at least entertaining. I would recommend this film to anyone who likes Cohen's other works like Ali G, Borat, and The Dictator, or someone who wants a good laugh. If you're one of those people who gets offended easily, then it's not worth your time.

C-