October 22, 2021
Around five or six years ago, we watched The Grand Budapest Hotel, a film that was nominated for nine Oscars, winning four. I rented it based on reputation and accolades alone. Although I knew some of the actors in the picture, I knew nothing about the director, Wes Anderson. We finished the movie and my immediate reaction was “Wow, that was a strange movie.” And I’m not sure if I can say that I “liked” it. In hindsight, it became one of those rare films that I was initially lukewarm about, but came to appreciate much more upon rewatching a few years later.
One of the benefits of setting out on this movie / writing adventure two years ago was discovering films, directors and actors that I either knew nothing about, or just never had the time to explore their work. Wes Anderson definitely fit into the first category and after watching Grand Budapest, he wasn’t at the forefront of my mind as I’ve been exploring deep dives for blog posts. That changed earlier this year, when I decided to watch The Royal Tenenbaums, in advance of listening to a podcast about the film. The podcast series is called The Rewatchables and each week they pick a movie and do a deep dive about the film, and hand out fake goofy awards. The Royal Tenenbaums knocked me out, and it helped that the podcast was a great examination of why Anderson’s films work so well, with a specific appreciation for the smallest details he focuses on. Everything from the dialogue to the costumes to the production design to the music (oh, the music choices he makes for his movies are glorious) are finely tuned to fit into the film like a 500-piece puzzle coming together perfectly. The other thing that I like about Anderson’s movies is that they all have crisp running times. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve written many times that I am fine with an excellent movie that pushes three hours, but sometimes it’s nice to have a breezy comedy-drama that’s only 100 minutes.
Anderson’s movies could be considered by some people to be “high-brow” comedy, not engaging with sophomoric humor or gross-out laughs. That’s just not his style. But it’s not to say that his films are not funny, but they are not laugh out loud comedies. This isn’t Superbad or Animal House. No, the humor in his films is very dry, with deadpan delivery, mixed in with drama and sentimental themes. Charles Grodin would have been a master in his movies. Speaking of actors, Anderson has this incredible ability to build a loyal following of actors who love to work with him, even if it’s for the smallest part. And he’s like the pied piper of directors – when an actor is in one of his movies, it seems like they are part of the Wes Anderson acting troupe forever.
I could spend 5,000 words writing about all of the A-listers who have appeared in Anderson’s movies over the years. In addition to Owen Wilson (who is one of his oldest friends) appearing in almost all of his films, he has convinced Bill Murray to appear in every one of his pictures since his second feature in 1998. As you read through the rest of this piece, keep a mental list of all of the wonderful actors he’s convinced to join his world, my favorite example being convincing Meryl Streep and George Clooney to voice an animated married fox couple. Yes, you read that correctly. His latest coup was convincing Tom Hanks to join his next film, which just started shooting in Spain.
As his newest movie, The French Dispatch, premieres in theaters this weekend (after a lengthy pandemic delay – stop me if you’ve heard this before), I decided to take a look at my top five films from the creative mind of this ingenious director.
#5 The Appetizer – Rushmore (1998)
Most people who admire Anderson’s work might suggest starting with his debut film, Bottle Rocket, but I actually found that one a little too silly and amateurish. Sometimes you can’t tell that it’s a director’s first movie, but for me, Bottle Rocket just didn’t work. His second film, Rushmore, on the other hand, I found very funny and charming. It features Jason Schwartzman as Max, an eccentric student at a private school who spends all of his time starting clubs and new hobbies, while ignoring his studies. He strikes up a friendship with local businessman Herman Blume (played by Bill Murray) and all is fine until they both fall for one of the teachers at the academy, played by Olivia Williams. The zany antics that ensue are pretty funny, as you wonder which of the two suitors is acting more childish – the 15 year-old student, or the (supposed) adult. Schwartzman would leverage this strong performance (his film debut) into a successful run of quality roles, including many with Anderson. Murray, who did the movie for a pittance because he loved the script, began his long working relationship with Anderson on Rushmore. Most of the time, Murray has a small role in his pictures, but he was front and center in our next film.
#4 If You Are Feeling Silly – The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
Now, that may not be the best advice, as most of the time you have to be in a silly mood to appreciate Anderson’s movies. Loosely based on a Jacques Cousteau-type character, Bill Murray stars as the titular Zissou, an oceanographer who spends most of his days out at sea, filming everything he learns. He decides to take his merry band of adventure-seekers out on a mission to find and destroy the shark that killed his assistant, a ludicrous exercise that he intends to film for his next documentary. Joining the fun this time are Anjelica Huston (as Murray’s estranged wife), Cate Blanchett (a reporter covering the mission), Willem Dafoe (in an against-type role as Murray’s crazy first mate), and Jeff Goldblum (as Murray’s rival oceanographer – who knew there was so much competition in that field?).
Perhaps stealing the movie is Anderson’s music choice – a number of David Bowie songs performed throughout the film. But he didn’t just play the original Bowie recordings. Instead, he had a musician (portraying a ship crew member) play the songs on an acoustic guitar and sing the lyrics in Portuguese. It may sound strange, but it was very effective, especially with the songs he matched up with the scenes. This movie has a number of WTF plot points that may make you roll your eyes or groan, but if you recognize that it’s all in the spirit of a silly adventure of a man wrestling with the meaning of life and his impending mortality, it’s an enjoyable watch. If this one appeals to you, another recommendation would be 2012’s Moonrise Kingdom, the story of a boy who runs away from a Boy Scout camping trip and the ensuing search for him and the girl he ran away with. While there are the typical comedic moments, at its core, Moonrise Kingdom is a sweet story of love and friendship. In addition to the usual members of Anderson’s comedy troupe, Moonrise Kingdom also features Frances McDormand, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, and Tilda Swinton in starring roles.
#3 Yup, I Was Wrong – Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
About a year ago, I came up with a silly idea to compare Tom Hanks and George Clooney across a number of made-up categories. You can read it here in case you missed it. When I got to the category of animation, I noted that Hanks had starred in the Toy Story films, while Clooney had only starred in Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox. I still stand by my assessment that Hanks won that head-to-head battle, but I was too dismissive of this movie, particularly Clooney’s performance as the lead character. Never afraid to try something new, Anderson developed the stop-motion action film, which was based on a children’s book by Roald Dahl. Side note: Netflix just acquired the rights for all of Dahl’s books, so get ready for more adaptations coming soon to the streamer. I think this is a great strategy, especially as a way to combat the strong children’s library on Disney+. But, I digress.
Fantastic Mr. Fox is focused on a family of foxes, led by Foxy and Felicity (Clooney and Meryl Streep) raising their young fox son, Ash, while doing what foxes do best – writing for a newspaper by day, and scrounging around as a thief by night. Ok, let’s pause here. Yes, this did initially make me think of Danny Ocean. But more importantly, yes, these are foxes, but it’s an animated film, so just go with it. Anyway, Foxy continues to get into trouble, putting his family’s living situation in jeopardy, all while battling local farmers and teaching his son some life lessons. I’m still amazed Anderson got Clooney and Streep to do this movie and while the animation is very impressive, the script is what makes this film work so well. There are funny, inside jokes, dry humor, and the substitution of the word “cuss” in place of every swear word is hysterical every time it’s used. Maybe I should try that…..nevermind. Anyway, if that hasn’t convinced you, check out these two clips – this first one where Clooney and Murray argue while “cussing” and this incredible video which shows the behind the scenes footage of Clooney, Streep, Murray and others recording their scenes. Note the authentic way Anderson chooses to record the actors doing the actions that their animated characters are doing in the movie while they are “performing.”
Fantastic Mr. Fox wasn’t Anderson’s only venture into animation. In 2018, he made Isle of Dogs, a story set in Japan about a dictator who tries to solve an outbreak of canine flu by shipping all dogs to a quarantined island. He is challenged by dog-lovers and members of his own family to solve the problem with science instead of cruelty. Bryan Cranston leads the cast on this one, along with Edward Norton, Bill Murray (of course), Jeff Goldblum, and Scarlett Johansson. Isle of Dogs is a little more serious than Fantastic Mr. Fox, but still has Anderson’s trademark deadpan humor and good-natured storybook ending.
#2 A Fast-Paced Romp – The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
If there is one lesson I learned in recently rewatching The Grand Budapest Hotel, it was “Don’t blink or might miss a key plot point.” A good reason to put your phone down for this one. Leading the way here is Ralph Fiennes as the concierge of the titular hotel, who is framed for the murder of one of the hotel’s guests, who just happens to be his longtime lover. As he looks to clear his name, along with his young protégé Zero, he comes in contact with the victim’s son (Adrien Brody), an assassin out to get him (Willem Dafoe) and the police investigator (Edward Norton) who throws him in jail, where he meets a gang leader (Harvey Keitel), who helps him escape. Not only does the plot of Grand Budapest move quickly, but we jump across multiple timelines from when Zero is a young concierge-in-training during the main events of the film in the 1930s, to when he tells his story as an old man (F. Murray Abraham) to an intrigued author (Jude Law) trying to learn about the history of the hotel. It’s fun to see Fiennes in a role that is dramatically different from what we typically see (like serious films Schindler’s List, The English Patient, and the recent James Bond movies). He is having a blast in this comedic romp, as he and his protégé try to dig themselves out of multiple jams happening one right after another. In addition to the wonderful humor and acting performances, Grand Budapest features beautiful European landscapes that accentuate the lore of the hotel. While I admire the lush European location choices, my next film features something a little closer to home.
#1 The Masterpiece – The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
I am the furthest thing from a “New Yorker.” Not only have I never lived there, but I’ve only visited the city for work, and usually it’s a whirlwind of train rides, cab rides, quick shuffling from hotels to meetings, and then back home. I’m not a huge fan of crowds (unless there’s live music involved), so walking the streets of New York City is not necessarily something I’m eager to do in life. That being said, I understand that for some people, there is nothing more special than New York City at a certain time of year. And, as much as I am not an expert, when I watch Anderson’s third film, The Royal Tenenbaums, this feels like the movie for the consummate New Yorker.
Much like his other movies, he creates a new setting for familiar themes – this one centered around a dysfunctional family of three gifted children and their separated parents. We see how they grew up in the opening prologue to the movie, played over a beautiful version of Hey Jude in the background. We meet parents Royal (the legend himself, Gene Hackman) and Etheline (Anjelica Huston) and their kids – tennis prodigy and artist Richie, budding playwright Margot (who was adopted, which becomes an important fact), and math genius Chas. Despite their exceptional talents, they never feel the love from their parents, who decide to go their separate ways. Fast forward twenty years and we see Royal running out of money (and moves to keep hustling), leading to an eviction from the hotel where he is staying. When he learns Etheline is in a relationship with someone new (Danny Glover), he decides to fake a terminal illness to move back in the house in a ruse to rekindle relationships with his children. Adulthood hasn’t been kind to the Tenenbaum children. Chas (Ben Stiller) lost his wife in a tragic plane crash and raises his sons in a constant fear that something will go wrong at any minute. Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) is in an unhappy marriage to a writer (Bill Murray) following a sputtering career. And Richie (Luke Wilson) saw his tennis career flame out, leading to a spiraling depression after Margot’s marriage – it turns out that Richie was in love with his adopted sister. Yes, it’s a strange plot point, but it’s more sweet than distracting. Needless to say, reconciling with dear old Dad isn’t something the siblings are exactly thrilled about.
There are many intertwined plot threads throughout The Royal Tenenbaums, much like most of Anderson’s pictures. But, at the heart of this movie is a family in search of love and support and one man’s attempt at making amends for the mistakes he made when he was a terrible husband and father. Hackman is fantastic in this role, playing the protagonist, but someone who is a terrible human being. He eventually finds redemption, but there are some moments where you roll your eyes wondering how someone could be so cold to his wife and children. The film has many comedic moments (most of them in a dark humor fashion), featuring trademark deadpan one-liners, and features great performances from all of the Tenenbaums, in addition to Owen Wilson, as a family friend in love with Margot. There are a few tough emotional moments as well, particularly with Richie’s reckoning with his depression, and Chas coming to grips with living without his wife. When you add in a winning script, wonderful performances, yet another pitch perfect soundtrack, and the beautiful location choices in New York City for the setting, to me, this movie is Wes Anderson’s masterpiece.
That’s all for this week. I hope you enjoyed this week’s look at the film career of Wes Anderson. I’ll be back next week for a look at some of my favorite movies in a particular genre that is usually pretty popular this time of year. Hmmm…..what could it be? Thanks for reading and if you’d like to be notified of future posts, you can subscribe here.