Rating of
3.5/4
Passion, Murder, Mayhem but With Style
Chris Kavan - wrote on 04/17/14
Wes Anderson's version of a noir film - complete with MacGuffin - but losing none of director's meticulous attention to detail, lovingly-crafted set design or deep breadth of character. Even though I have been an Anderson fan since Rushmore, he continues to amaze me with the different ways he can spin a tale. I still consider Moonrise Kingdom my favorite, but Grand Budapest Hotel isn't too far behind and, thus far, my favorite film of the year.
Like so many of his films, there is a lot going on - we have a story written by an author (elder played by Tom Wilkinson, the younger version played by Jude Law) told to him by a former Lobby Boy (now owner) of the once-high class Grand Budapest Hotel that has fallen on hard times (elder played by F. Murray Abraham, the younger played wonderfully by newcomer Tony Revolori) Zero Mustafa. It's like a version of telephone, wondering just how much of the tale is true and what is embellished and that's half the fun in my mind.
On the surface, the story is about one M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) - a rakish, dapper and eloquent concierge at the Grand Budapest Hotel who has a penchant for the older, blonde women who frequent his establishment - as well as an ear and voice for romantic poetry and a love of a certain cologne, L’Air de Panache. He runs his establishment with an air of class, and his clientele reflects that, and is always keen to the needs of those he attends to - especially those older women. One of those happens to be one Madame D. (a heavily aged to great effect Tilda Swinton) - who is greatly in love with Gustave and is fearing to travel. After being assured, she leaves, but not without trepidation.
Our Lobby Boy Zero is going to be witness to the coming events (not without being thoroughly vetted by M. Gustave first) and soon becomes the favorite of the concierge. The story takes so many twists and turns, it's hard to talk further without spoiling things. Needless to say, there is a death, a will, a priceless painting, a murderous thug, a jail break, a mountain chase, delightful pastries, a budding romance and a resolution (somewhat in that order). As far as I'm concerned, all Anderson films get better with repeated viewings, but this one in particular probably has a lot going on that I missed and will be great to return to time and time again.
All of Anderson's passion is here - the models, the long tracking shots across multiple levels, the outrageous and instantly classic characters, the dialogue and yes, the music - it is all crafted with the director's unique touch. And what characters - aside from those mentioned, a lot of Anderson players make an appearance: Jeff Goldblum as the put-upon Deputy Kovacs, Adrien Brody as the foul-mouthed snake looking to reap his fortune, Edward Norton as a German officer who has fond memories of Gustave that come into play, Jason Schwartzman as the (present) concierge of the Grand Budapest (and a rather lazy one at that) and even Bill Murray and Owen Wilson show up as members of the Crossed Keys - a somewhat mysterious group of hotel owners who help each other out.
But I really like the new players - Willem Dafoe is simply excellent as the muscle - his dour expression and ring-adorned fingers scream "I mean business" and he delights his job be it throwing a cat out a window or slowly stalking his prey. And Saoirse Ronan finally gets another role to showcase her amazing talent as the baker's assistant (and Zero's love interest) Agatha - complete with a wine-colored birthmark of Mexico across her cheek. I also can't forget Harvey Keitel as an inmate with plan - someone so gruff should stand out like a sore thumb, but he's right at home. But it is truly Revolori who shines throughout - matching wits with a heavyweight like Fiennes is no easy task, but, man, does Anderson truly bring out the best in unknowns (see also, Moonrise Kingdom) and he is just as good a force to be reckoned with - especially if you flirt with his girl.
The movie does tend to get a bit bogged down in some overly flowery prose here and there and, I have to admit, the ending is a bit of a downer, but I can't fault it that much. If you are an Anderson fan, you cannot miss this one. While I don't think it's quite as appealing to a wide audience as Moonrise Kingdom, it's certainly not as "out there" as Life Aquatic or The Darjeeling Limited. Hopefully it will create a lasting enough impression come awards time, because I think it deserves some recognition.
