Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) - Oscar ® Nominee!

"Shot through with a bold, extravagant generosity of spirit, this journey behind the literal and figurative looking glass marks a gratifying return to form for Gilliam.  Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
"..."Parnassus" is a richly rewarding experience.  Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

Editor's Note In THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS, director Terry Gilliam continues the trippy tradition he began with inventive films such as TIME BANDITS and BRAZIL. This time, he reteams with Heath Ledger of THE BROTHERS GRIMM, Christopher Plummer of 12 MONKEYS, and Tom Waits of THE FISHER KING.

	Tom Waits
	Christopher Plummer
	Colin Farrell
	Lily Cole
	Verne Troyer
	Jude Law
	Heath Ledger
	Andrew Garfield
	Johnny Depp
	Terry Gilliam - Screenwriter
	Charles McKeown - Screenwriter
	Terry Gilliam - Director

Hollywood Reporter
"Plummer and Waits are the twin rocks of the film, and they enter the spirit of playfulness with typical skill. Garfield continues to expand his considerable range..." 05/23/2009

Box Office
4 stars out of 5 -- "THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS is Terry Gilliam's masterpiece. His virtuosic pairing of spectacle and nuanced crafts a morality tale that resonates with boundless allusions." 09/10/2009

Total Film
3 stars out of 5 -- "PARNASSUS is pure Gilliam, whisking dashes of BRAZIL, MUNCHAUSEN, THE FISHER KING and added autobiographical reflections into unruly but fitfully visionary fantasy terrain." 09/21/2009

Los Angeles Times
"You'd expect no less from Terry Gilliam...IMAGINARIUM is one of his most original and accessible works....He applies his fantastic and fantastical imagination to a visually dazzling tale of combat for men's souls." 12/25/2009

USA Today
3 stars out of 4 -- "Gilliam nimbly juxtaposes modern-day England, complete with drab shopping malls, and a mesmerizing fantasy world....An inspired adventure." 12/25/2009

New York Times
"Much like musical numbers, the fantasy sequences elbow into the narrative, with bursts of candied color and the kind of whimsical touches that will be familiar to fans of Mr. Gilliam's work..." 12/25/2009

A.V. Club
"[W]ith a smart concept, gorgeous cinematography, some terrific performances and tons of energy..." -- Grade: B 12/23/2009

Entertainment Weekly
"[The actors] dust the director's characteristically squirrelly, dense, and visually overloaded project with the sparkle of celebrity....Individual scenes are dazzling..." -- Grade: B- 01/08/2010

Chicago Sun-Times
3 stars out of 4 -- "[T]his is an IMAGINARIUM indeed. The best approach is to sit there and let it happen to you; see it in the moment..." 01/06/2010

Rolling Stone
3 stars out of 4 -- "[T]he magic works. It's a chance to see Ledger one last time in the act of doing what he loved." 01/21/2010

Washington Post
"Shot through with a bold, extravagant generosity of spirit, this journey behind the literal and figurative looking glass marks a gratifying return to form for Gilliam..." 01/08/2010

Movieline
"[T]he combination of Gilliam's reliably stunning visuals and complex, involving performance help him build unlikely narrative momentum..." 12/28/2009

Uncut
3 stars out of 5 -- "[Ledger] immerses himself enthusiastically into the low-budget spirit of Gilliam's film." 10/09/2009

Empire
4 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t's rather nice to see Gilliam in full flight, making the sort of twisted fairy tale that only he could tell." 05/01/2010

Chicago Sun-Times 7 of 10
The motto of Second City is "Something Wonderful Right Away," and maybe Terry Gilliam has the words displayed on his mirror when he shaves every morning. He has never faltered. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus could be seen as a sideshow version of his own life, with him playing the role of the pitchman who lures you into his fantasies. That they may seem extravagant and overheated, all smoke and mirrors, is, after all, in their very nature...The story in Gilliam's fevered film is all over the map, as usual, but this time there's a reason. His wild inventions in character, costumes and CGI effects are accounted for by a plot that requires revolving worlds. Elements of this plot were made necessary by the death of Heath Ledger halfway into the filming, but the plot itself I think was in place from the first...It involves a bizarre, threadbare traveling show that unfolds out of a rickety old wagon in rundown pockets of London occupied mostly by drunks and grotesques. The show consists of the (very, very) old Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) perching ominously on a stool while his barker, Anton (Andrew Garfield); his daughter, Valentina (Lily Cole), and his angry dwarf, Percy (Verne Troyer), perform for an unruly handful of lager louts...Percy and Anton save the life of a man hanging from a bridge. Why only they can perform this task is wisely not explained. The man on the rope is Tony (Heath Ledger). I know. He joins the show, is appalled by its archaic form and suggests updates. The reason it's creaky is that Parnassus is many centuries old, having made a pact with Satan (Tom Waits, as usual) to live forever on condition that Satan can possess Valentina (Lily Cole) when she turns 16. You have to admit Parnassus didn't rush into reproduction. Of course he wants out of the deal. Satan frequently runs into credit payment risks...Now what I see are a group of experienced actors gamely trying to keep their heads while all about are losing theirs. Can it be easy to play one-third of a guide to one-third of an arbitrary world? You just have to plunge in. Ledger himself, who makes Tony relatively grounded in the "real" world, must have been prepared to do the same and would have lent the story more continuity. Still, this is an Imaginarium indeed. The best approach is to sit there and let it happen to you; see it in the moment and not with long-term memory, which seems to be what Parnassus does. It keeps his mind off Satan's plans for his daughter. - Roger Ebert