Wes Anderson fans will be delighted with his newest piece of cinematic cinema. Moonrise Kingdom continues the writer/directors' dry/offbeat/quirky comedy stylings/musings and pastes them onto an island/isle set in 1965/nineteen sixty-five. There, a young troubled girl (Margo from Royal Tennenbaums much?) and an orphaned outcast boy runaway together to live in the wilderness. For this is a seriously romantic and epic tale of first and possibly long lasting love.
The film knows how to effectively balance the cutesy and the drama. It feels like a hybrid between The Royal Tennenbaums and The Life Aquatic With Steve Zisou. This is not a bad thing by any means, but it does continue to unravel in true Wes Anderson tradition. Only this time, I felt Moonrise Kingdom was his strongest film in terms of having the most heart. I couldn't help getting swept up in the wonderment of it all. The awkward moments of two kids in love, the dryness of Bill Murray and Frances McDormand's characters, the sad charm of Bruce Willis' character, and the delightful minor role of Jason Schwartzman's cocky cool Khaki Scout. As usual, Wes Anderson populates this film with a colorful and very likable cast of oddballs.
Everyone in this stellar cast does a great job however, it was Edward Norton's Khaki Scout leader who captivated me most of all. He was funny, sad, and made it impossible not to be absorbed into the story as a result of his performance. I loved how he wanted to be this great tough as nails type leader, yet he often caved and showed more compasion than a true tough as nails SOB should.
The young boy is also charming as he searches for any type of companionship. His life is truly rough as he is not just orphaned, but also an outcast, hated by all his former fellow Khaki Scouts. To top that off, he's in danger of being sent to a juvenile center to receive electro shock therapy... yikes! Perhaps one of the best scenes comes when the Khaki Scouts are hunting him down and attack like an out of control army. Two words: Lefty Scissors... HA! (Side Note: you will not understand this reference unless you have seen the movie. Step one: go see the movie. Step two: reread this review after seeing the movie. Step three: laugh)
The Breakdown: The subtle performances from the all star cast and simple love story at the heart of the film/movie/flick/motion picture make this a heartwarming and highly amusing story. It's impossible not to find the charm in this film.
No comments:
Post a Comment