Rating of
3.5/4
Wes Anderson's latest Grand achievment.
Jacob Zembower - wrote on 06/03/14
Wes Anderson's use of aspect ratio and his trademark attention to vibrant detail make The Grand Budapest Hotel one of his most visually inventive films to date. With a mix of miniatures, computer animation, and matte backdrops, the film is anything if not always a feast for the eyes. It's also frequently hilarious with two of the funniest sequences of the year. But behind the candy wrapper veneer are darker themed goings on involving war, murder, and genuine tragedy which adds a certain weight to the proceedings. Ralph Fiennes is absolutely wonderful in his role and is an early contender for awards recognition, it may just be his most memorable and striking work since Schindler's List. The rest of the cast, with Jude Law, F. Murray Abraham, Saorise Ronan, Tilda Swinton, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldbloom, and Tom Wilkinson among them (not to mention cameo appearances including Jason Schwartzman, Lea Seydoux, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, and with a slightly larger role Edward Norton) all put in fine work their own, predictably. I'm not sure where this ranks among other Anderson films. But regardless, this is easily one of the jewels of 2014. (Rated R for language, some sexual content, brief nudity, and violence)
