Grimsby (film)

Grimsby

Company type	Film
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	2016
Founder	Sacha Baron Cohen, Phil Johnston, Peter Baynham (writers), Louis Leterrier (director)
Products	Spy-action comedy film

Grimsby (known as The Brothers Grimsby in the United States and Canada) is a 2016 spy-action comedy helmed by director Louis Leterrier and penned by Sacha Baron Cohen, Phil Johnston, and Peter Baynham. The cast stars Baron Cohen alongside Mark Strong, Rebel Wilson, Isla Fisher, Gabourey Sidibe, Penélope Cruz, and Ian McShane.

Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, the film premiered in the United Kingdom on 24 February 2016, followed by its US release on 11 March 2016. Despite its notable ensemble, Grimsby failed to recoup its $35 million budget, earning only $28 million worldwide, and was met with predominantly unfavorable reviews from critics.

Plot

Kyle Alan "Nobby" Butcher and his brother Sebastian Butcher have been estranged for nearly three decades. While Nobby leads a rough life as a football hooligan and alcoholic in Grimsby, living with his partner Dawn and their eleven children, Sebastian has transformed into Sebastian Graves, a distinguished agent within MI6.

During an interrogation, Sebastian is informed that philanthropist Rhonda George, who is hosting a charity event called WorldCure, may be targeted for assassination. He is assigned to attend the event. Meanwhile, Nobby’s pub acquaintances learn of Sebastian’s presence there and persuade Nobby to reconnect with his brother. At the gathering, Sebastian notices assassin Pavel Lukashenko preparing to kill Rhonda using a gun concealed within a video camera. As Sebastian moves to neutralize the threat, Nobby unexpectedly embraces him, causing the weapon to discharge accidentally and injure Schlomo, an AIDS-positive Jewish-Palestinian child. The blood spray infects Daniel Radcliffe with AIDS.

The siblings flee from law enforcement and criminal forces alike. Despite Sebastian’s objections, Nobby insists they seek refuge at his home in Grimsby. MI6 suspects Sebastian has defected and dispatches assassin Chilcott to capture him. Chilcott’s team tracks them to a pub; although they manage to escape, Sebastian sustains poison dart wounds which Nobby promptly treats by extracting the venom.

Discovering Lukashenko’s plan to conduct a deal with Joris Smit in South Africa, the brothers travel there. In a mishap, Sebastian accidentally injects himself with heroin mistakenly believed to be medicine. Nobby impersonates Sebastian undercover but ends up seducing a cleaner resembling Joris’ wife. After Sebastian rescues him, Lina reveals that Lukashenko has acquired a virus but is fatally shot by Chilcott’s operatives. To evade capture, the brothers hide inside an elephant’s reproductive organ, emerging covered in elephant semen.

Once cleaned up, Sebastian questions why Nobby left him behind. Nobby explains that their adoptive parents could only care for one child and that he sacrificed his place so Sebastian could have better opportunities. They reconcile and proceed to Chile for the football final between England and Germany. There, they uncover a plot by the syndicate to release the virus at the stadium; however, Sebastian is taken prisoner. Rhonda exposes her scheme to disperse the virus via fireworks. Nobby eliminates Lukashenko and his henchmen before freeing Sebastian.

They rush back to the stadium where Chilcott attempts to assassinate Sebastian but is thwarted when Nobby’s children hurl Schlomo’s wheelchair at him. Facing Rhonda directly, Nobby’s gun jams; he then sits atop one of the infected fireworks while Sebastian joins him at the last moment, reaffirming their brotherly bond. The fireworks detonate, rendering both unconscious. In an accidental discharge of his firearm, Nobby shoots Daniel Radcliffe again; Radcliffe’s infected blood spills into Donald Trump’s mouth.

Media outlets report Rhonda’s arrest and declare that the brothers sacrificed their lives saving humanity while Trump contracted AIDS. Schlomo is detained on charges of killing Chilcott. The brothers recover in hospital where Jodie provides them with new identities and reveals that elephant semen served as an antidote neutralizing the virus. Nobby’s family visits them during recovery. Eight weeks later in Indonesia, Nobby kills approaching gunmen—only realizing too late that they are members of his own team.

In the post-credits scene, the brothers stop a man to ask for directions to a football stadium; after receiving them, Nobby shoots him to "leave no witnesses," unsettling Sebastian.

Cast

• Sacha Baron Cohen portrays Kyle Alan "Nobby" Butcher, a football hooligan and the elder sibling of Sebastian.
• Mark Strong appears as Sebastian Graves, an elite MI6 operative and Nobby's younger brother.
• Isla Fisher plays Jodie Figgs, who acts as Sebastian's handler.
• Rebel Wilson is cast as Dawn, Nobby's partner and mother to his eleven children.
• Penélope Cruz takes on the role of Rhonda George, an actress with ambitions to find a cure for a global illness.
• Gabourey Sidibe features as Banu, a maid working in a South African hotel.
• Annabelle Wallis portrays Lina Smit.
• David Harewood plays the character Black Gareth.
• John Thomson appears as Bob Tolliver.
• Ricky Tomlinson is cast as Paedo Pete.
• Johnny Vegas acts as Milky Pimms.
• Scott Adkins plays Pavel Lukashenko.
• Sam Hazeldine features as Chilcott.
• Barkhad Abdi appears as Tabansi Nyagura.
• Tamsin Egerton portrays Carla Barnes.
• Ian McShane takes the role of the MI6 Spy Boss.
• Nathan Noel Jukes plays Stabber.
• Miles Jupp appears as a Policeman.
• Peter Baynham acts as a Parking Warden.

Development

In October 2013, Sacha Baron Cohen was spotted attending a football match between Grimsby Town and Cambridge United, sporting a Grimsby jersey and mingling with supporters at a local pub. He was scouting potential filming locations and also visited towns such as Scunthorpe, Hull, and Newcastle for creative inspiration. On 3 December 2013, it was announced that Louis Leterrier would direct the project.

Casting

On 24 April 2014, it was revealed that Mark Strong had joined the production, portraying a British black-ops agent and brother to Baron Cohen’s character. The following day, Annabelle Wallis was added to the ensemble. By 11 June, the cast expanded to include Ian McShane, Gabourey Sidibe, David Harewood, and Johnny Vegas. On 12 June, Baron Cohen’s spouse, Isla Fisher, along with Rebel Wilson, were confirmed. Later, on 9 July, it was announced that Penélope Cruz had joined the lineup.

Filming

Principal photography commenced on 4 June 2014 at North Weald railway station and locations around Epping Forest, Essex, England. After six weeks of shooting in the UK, production relocated to South Africa. On 3 July, comedian Eric Idle posted a photograph from the set featuring Baron Cohen.

Filming occurred in Tilbury on 10–11 July, where the area was transformed to resemble Grimsby in the 1980s. By mid-July, Baron Cohen and Strong were filming scenes set on city streets. Some residents of Grimsby voiced displeasure over the film’s depiction of their town as dilapidated and violent, citing concerns about negative stereotyping.

Release

On 13 February 2014, distribution rights shifted from Paramount Pictures to Columbia Pictures, with an initial U.S. release date scheduled for 31 July 2015. The release was later postponed to 26 February 2016, then moved again to 4 March 2016 before finally settling on 11 March 2016.

Box office

Grimsby grossed $6.9 million domestically in North America and $21.1 million internationally, accumulating $28 million worldwide against its $35 million production budget.

The film premiered in the U.S. and Canada on March 11, 2016, competing with 10 Cloverfield Lane, The Young Messiah, and The Perfect Match. Initial forecasts anticipated an opening weekend take of $7–8 million; however, after earning $1.2 million on its first day, projections fell to $3–4 million. Ultimately, it earned $3.3 million and ranked eighth at the box office. Industry analysts from Deadline Hollywood attributed the poor debut to its British-centric content and marketing that failed to resonate with American viewers—similar to what happened with Eddie the Eagle. Additionally, Forbes noted that some audiences regarded it as Baron Cohen recycling his familiar comedic approach.

Sony Pictures' distribution chief expressed disappointment: "We certainly hoped for more... we tried to figure it out but it just didn’t work out." Following its opening weekend performance, the film was widely regarded as a box office failure.

Critical reception

According to Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has a 37% approval rating derived from 136 critiques, with an average rating of 4.80 out of 10. The site's consensus remarks that while The Brothers Grimsby showcases Sacha Baron Cohen's provocative comedic style, numerous jokes fail to strike the right balance between boldness and desperation. On Metacritic, it earned a score of 44 based on 34 evaluations, reflecting a "mixed or average" response. Viewer feedback collected by CinemaScore assigned the film a "B+" rating. Meanwhile, The Guardian awarded it 2 stars out of 5.