What sets this film apart from other films like it is the distinctive quirkiness of it.The two child leads did a fantastic job and the supporting cast was wonderful.I loved the musical direction of the film.In using mostly Benjamin Britten's and Hank William's music they gave an added layer of quirky that really added to my enjoyment of the picture.
Wes Anderson has a lot of obvious strengths and weaknesses. I find sometimes his weaknesses outweigh the good and things get lost. This movie was a pleasure. The urgency that the characters find their own situation leads to a lot of touching and funny moments. The best movie he's made since tennenbaums.
Charming and peculiar; it seemed like a wonderful symphony of fairy-tale characters, adventure motifs and the banality of adult existence. It certainly was neither profound nor poignant, but it was endearing and - often - quite funny. At times, it filled me with light-hearted regret that I didn't live in that world as a young teen.
The love for Wes Anderson eludes me. Terribly weak characterization admist some very pretty visuals and talented directing. It's hard to find sincerity within Anderson's work and his characters as well even though I'm completely confident that Anderson is as genuine as they come. Meh, I don't get it.
Entertaining remake of Badlands in another key, focusing on that film's themes of youth-as-outsider in a humdrum if not conformist world, rather than on the more mysteriously philosophical questions that made Malick's 1973 debut such a cinematic masterpiece. While the performances in both films are notable for their deadpan delivery, here this is at the service of a wry romanticism rather than a quasi-Heideggerian exploration (still somewhat wry) of an emptiness at the heart of existence.
those shots and camera work, so elegant and thought out; those colors; oh and the characters - this is great, refined film; it seemed nostalgic and naive, which is fantastic and rare today.
I found it more charming and better laid out than most of Anderson's work, although in comparison to say, The Life Aquatic, it's consistently a better movie but lacks any scene as good as 1. the shootout 2. the ending in the sub. As well in all Anderson movies I don't feel like the characters actually feel the way they say they feel. Yet, I was charmed, and I think this one would actually benefit from repeat viewings once you already know the beats. Score is not a grade.
As usual dir/writer Anderson delivers unevenly, and this one has a very good middle and more so-so beginning and end.
It's a typical good-looking Anderson-movie, but those magical moments are too thinspread; we get some of the potential in glimpses only, and that makes this one a slightly disappointing experience.
As for the cast the young lead-duo are ok, but sadly an awesome adult cast don't get many chances to do something worthwhile. *Preview*:#12#, reviews, casting, (dir-wri Anderson/1)
Perhaps the most beautifully filmed movie I've ever seen. Every shot is a work of art. Characters are interesting, plot is quirky and fun. Pretty funny at times, too.
anderson's conflict between the idyllic and the real rarely presents itself in such naked (unsubtle?) terms as here. the young lovers' rendezvous to paradise clarifies his meticulous mise-en-scene as a form of pre-adolescent escapism, organising the accumulative clutter of growing up in broken homes into something clear, controllable. but he can never quell the chaos for long; here, the sky bursts open, and all the shared love, pain and confusion breaks its stylistic confines in vivid flashes.
It almost lost me when Sam got hit by lightning but since he's not a real character, I recovered and so did the film. Overall I enjoyed the winsome tone and found it pretty funny. Still, Rushmore is far behind him and Anderson's all surface now, which is sad, really.
From reading the other reviews the style of this seems the norm for the maker of the film and thankfully the quirkiness has made this uninteresting bland story just slightly more entertaining than it would have been. With such a strong cast I feel like it could have been so much more. From the look of the majority of the other reviews it seems its one of those films you watch because you are a fan of the director.
No surprises that Anderson would successfully capture the spirit of youth, but that doesn't explain just how well he did it. Contrasting this boundless excitement with the cynicism of the adult world just drives this home further. The two leads are wonderful, but everyone else has their time to shine, especially Norton's scoutmaster and Willis doing something different. A fun ride, and endlessly hilarious.
A very enjoyable film, full of wonderful colours, very interesting characters, remarkable performances (Schwartzman, Swinton and Norton are the ones who stand out), great comic timing and fantastic little ideas here and there. It's not perfect - the actual storyline is rather conventional and superficial (the world does not need yet another child love story) - and overall this is nothing earth-shattering, but the visual mastery alone elevates it to compelling viewing.
Upon first viewing I was left with an ear-to-ear smile. Every character, even those on screen for a short amount of time, are given purpose, direction and depth. Anderson has a sincerity that is often either not recognized or seemingly misinterpreted. Here it is obvious. It's a tale of young love where the two lovers are equal parts far more mature than their age dictates as well as extremely naive. Beautifully done.
This movie solidifies my opinion that I really dislike Wes Anderson. I know some people adore him but I'm not in that camp. The acting is just too weird in this and with all its star-power (Willis, Norton, Swinton, McDormand, Keitel, Murray, Schwartzman) nothing could have saved this movie. Plus the scene on the beach between the two under aged children (Hayward is only 13) was pretty inappropriate. I'm definitely going to think twice about seeing another Wes Anderson film, so disappointing.
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