WRITER'S NOTE #1: The following is a collection of reviews posted on my Instagram page @film_freeq. They’ve been organized by their initial theatrical release dates.
WRITER'S NOTE #2: I had seen Anderson's 2012 film, Moonrise Kingdom, only once before, but am choosing not to revisit it, due to its deeply problematic storyline involving two 12-year-olds who run away together and indulge in adult-like sexuality. As somebody who's worked with kids for many years and believes in raising them right, this film (no matter how good Edward Norton and Bruce Willis are otherwise) sends the wrong message in a world where pedophilia and human trafficking are still, sadly, very present. Just as I described the problematic sexual content in Guillermo del Toro's 2017 film The Shape of Water, how is Anderson's film any different?
Bottle Rocket (1996)
The debut feature film of director Wes Anderson and then-unknown siblings Luke and Owen Wilson is one of the decade's most clever, funniest, unpredictable, and underappreciated genre entries. A quirky comedy about a pair of wannabe small-time crooks who aren't very good at what they do, the film's slogan perhaps best sums up their misguided quest: "All they ever wanted was to be wanted." Many of Anderson's trademarks can be seen here: symmetrical framing and tracking, attention-to-detail props and editing, descriptive exposition, very talkative and offbeat characters, separate and comedic foreground and background action, and a collection of rock'n'roll music tracks. Occasional language issues, an implied sex scene, and obviously numerous lawbreaking, are the major culprits in this absurdist and original heist caper that puts a unique spin on the theme that crime doesn't pay.
Rushmore (1998)
Anderson's second feature film marked two firsts. As the relentless and rebellious prep school student Max Fischer (who spends most of his time running numerous extra-curricular activities), actor Jason Schwartzman made his screen debut. Rushmore also marked the first in an ongoing collaboration between Anderson and regular Bill Murray. Here, the SNL alum gives one of his career-defining performances as a war-vet-turned-steel-tycoon who competes with Fischer for the affections of a first grade school teacher (Olivia Williams).
However, one shouldn't get passed the fact that Murray's Herman Blume is a married man wooing another woman; ditto the film's occasional harsh profanities and brief-but-unnecessary pornographic images, as well as references to affairs, hand jobs, and two principal characters being potential creeps. (To its credit, the film does show how unfulfilled and misleading such pursuits, let alone mindsets, are.) This is a sharp and anarchic comedy about two immature oddballs with complicated perspectives on love, life, and ambition.
The Royal Tenanbaums (2001)
Wes Anderson's knack for panoramic production design, art direction, and large ensemble casts really started with this dramedy--trademarks that have been staples for his career since. Gene Hackman (in one of his final screen roles) plays the patriarch of a dysfunctional family, who tries to reconnect with his estranged wife and children before he dies.
It's fitting that The Royal Tenenbaums begins with a book, as the film plays out like a cinematic novel (complete with chapter headings and intertitles, and guided by Alec Baldwin's rich narration). And while the film may look cheery and bright, Anderson and company waste no time slapping genre and story conventions in the face. To the film's credit, the aforementioned dysfunctions represent more grounded and harsh realities under the picturesque exterior (one of the film's themes is hidden family secrets). It's just that some of them are quite maddening.
For one, there are references to characters having affairs (including a brief-but-graphic lesbian tryst), not to mention a highly questionable romance between one family member and his adopted sister. Then there's one disturbing moment where one character attempts suicide. Those elements (along with bitter angst and deception) make it hard to embrace the story's themes of keeping relationships in tact and wanting to make things right--even late in life--despite numerous flaws and issues. And believe me, this family has issues. At least they acknowledge that.
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004)
Bill Murray headlines this picture about a celebrated oceanographer who assembles a crew for a deep sea journey to find and kill the shark that murdered his friend. Although The Life Aquatic received mixed reviews and poor box-office when it was first released, it has gained a cult following over the years.
This eccentric homage to Jacque Cousteau is distinctly Wes Anderson (who co-write the script with Noah Baumbach). Who else but a white-bearded Murray in an orange hat could've pulled off such a role? Like the director's previous work, it's intricately-detailed (with stop-motion segments directed by Henry Selick and music-booming sea helmets making up the film's best segment). It even makes clever use of David Bowie music, while Steve's ship takes its name from artist-activist Harry Belafonte. But it's also a crass and surprisingly dark odyssey. It may be Anderson's most acquired work to date.
TRIVIAL FACT: This may have been the first feature where the director began wearing his trademark suit jackets and long hair that he's now famous for.
The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
Three brothers reunite and go on a spiritual trip throughout India in this Wes Anderson dramedy, headlined by Jason Schwartzman (who co-wrote the script with Anderson and Roman Coppola), Adrien Brody, and Owen Wilson (whose bandaged sibling was a notable return to the screen for the actor after a reported suicide attempt earlier that year). With action that takes place on a moving train for the first-half of its 90-minute runtime, The Darjeeling Limited largely consists of secular perspectives on love, life, sex, and religion. (The director's 13-minute companion short, Hotel Chevalier, starring Schwartzman and a pixie-cut Natalie Portman, is far more problematic in comparison.) But it does feature some of Anderson's most emotionally-affecting and technically-dynamic work up to that point.
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Considered by many to be Wes Anderson's magnum opus, this intricate and witty period comedy (written by Anderson and Hugo Guinness) centers around a man who recounts his days as a lobby boy (Tony Revolori, in an impressive debut) at a luxurious and picturesque hotel, run by an eccentric concierge (Ralph Fiennes, in a radically comedic turn), in 1930s Europe. The Grand Budapest Hotel skillfully plays with different aspect ratios to represent different time periods throughout the story (the film is best viewed in the 1.85:1 format).
Make no mistake, this is a wholly original, entertaining, and star-studded farce, with relevant themes of war, prejudice, murder, and escapism thrown in. It's a shame, however, that the experience is ruined by problematic sexual content (the eponymous Gustav H. sleeps around with much older women, while one particular painting depicts lesbian erotica) and several harsh, sometimes offensive, profanities. In other words, sharp objects underneath colorful pastry.
TRIVIAL FACT: Alongside The Artist (2011) and A Ghost Story (2017), this is one of a small number of films in the last decade to revive the centuries-old 1.33:1 Academy ratio.
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun (2021)
Anderson's anthology piece about a French-based magazine, and the various stories they run, is, by far, his most star-studded project--with almost enough big names to rival Marvel. (Bill Murray as the editor-in-chief, Owen Wilson and Jeffrey Wright as two of his reporters, and Adrien Brody as a story subject, are a few of the many standouts.) That being said, The French Dispatch feels like a "been there done that," in terms of Anderson retreading the same ground a la Grand Budapest and The Life Aquatic: playing with different aspect ratios, elaborate interior set pieces, and meticulous detail.
The film also has quite a few prolonged scenes of full frontal nude modeling (French actress Lea Seydoux plays a prison guard), an apparent affair between a younger man and an older woman, and some depressing suicidal references. On the other hand, there are a few technical aspects that set the film apart from its predecessors, including B&W cinematography for its "story" sequences, freeze frame panning (that's a first for Anderson), intercut split-screen effects, and creative subtitles. The French Dispatch (co-written by Anderson, Roman Coppola, Hugo Guinness, and Jason Schwartzman) has wit and style to spare, but, like its diverse stories, feels inconsistent and much more publicized than it needs to be.
***
So, which of Anderson's films can I actually recommend? . . .
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)*
Based on Roald Dahl's classic children's book, Fantastic Mr. Fox follows the titular animal who moves his family from a fox hole to a tree on a hill. Facing a midlife crisis, Mr. Fox eventually returns to his former days of chicken-stealing when he learns of the nearby (and wealthy) estates of three wicked farmers. The latter three soon launch a vendetta against the clever and mischievous critter, who, in turn, is forced to save not only his family but his entire community.
Anderson surprised everyone when he adapted (along with Noah Baumbach) and directed Dahl's book for the screen in 2009. In fact, his unique style is perfect for the medium of stop-motion animation that makes up the film. Fantastic Mr. Fox brings together the trademarks and contemporary edge that Anderson has become known for (i.e., symmetrical framing, offbeat and/or dysfunctional family dynamics, intricate design) while being accessible to a wider, general audience. It also has a great voice cast that includes George Clooney (channeling Cary Grant, as Mr. Fox), Meryl Streep (as the firm other half), Bill Murray (as a dry lawyer badger), Willem Dafoe (as a conniving rat), and Jason Schwartzman (as Fox's angst-driven son Ash). Even though it's the kind of film that appeals more to adults than children (its soundtrack features tracks by Burl Ives, the Beach Boys, and even the Rolling Stones), it works, I believe, for both demographics. (It worked for my niece when she was 3 or 4 years old.)
Very few pictures (live-action or animated) are able to pull off the amazing feat of being both old-fashioned and contemporary, charming and edgy, menacing and endearing. Dahl's literary motif of protagonists in a cruel world is also very present, and may be more intense than some viewers are expecting. (Then there's also that amusing element of "cussing".) To its credit, the film depicts the animal kingdom in a realistic fashion (fitting that the filmmakers used real fur when designing the characters), while the story is subversive in terms of Mr. Fox being both the hero and the villain. He drives the action and ultimately has to be the one to save the day, even when his methods and objectives are sometimes questionable and misguided; something to talk about. In short, Fantastic Mr. Fox is terrific.
TRIVIAL FACT: TIME Magazine's late film critic Richard Corliss ranked this as one of the Top 3 Best Films of 2009, along with Disney's hand-drawn The Princess and the Frog and Pixar's computer-animated Up.
Isles of Dogs (2018)
Anderson returned to the stop-motion medium, once again, for one of his most ambitious, creative, and controversial films. An homage to Rankin-Bass and Akira Kurosawa, Isle of Dogs takes place in a futuristic Japan, where an outbreak of dog flu and snout fever forces the canine population to be relocated to a trash-compacting island. A young boy pilot (and nephew of a cat-loving mayor) then goes on a mission to find his dog, with help from a gang of former house-pets. Anderson, once again, assembles a stellar cast, headed by Bryan Cranston's intimidating stray known as Chief (and displaying amazing layers of depth beneath a gruff exterior). The animation, quirks, and distinct personalities of the titular animals are amazing to look at. And the film itself proves to be a unique bilingual experience (well, not entirely).
With that in mind, Isle of Dogs has been accused of cultural appropriation in its portrayal of Japanese culture, while other critics have pointed to exchange student Tracy Walker (voiced by Greta Gerwig) as a more recent example of a "white savior" (although that's really the least of this film's worries). As far as its target audience, this isn't really a movie for children, despite its irresistible charm and engrossing characters. Unlike Fantastic Mr. Fox, Dogs features a few violent images, brief references to cannibalism and suicide, and deals with more mature themes, including one character's fear of bringing children into this world (something that A Quiet Place also did very well that same year). For everyone else, this is a unique contribution to the medium, and one of only two Wes Anderson films I can actually recommend--but with caution.
WRITER'S NOTE: *extended version of my review posted on my Instagram @film_freeq page on November 14, 2022
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