The Darjeeling Limited

This is a film occupied with moments. Wonderful moments. It is not so much concerned with mechanics of plot but for me, it never got dull. Wes Anderson has matured in subtle ways and this film is a well crafted blend of the personal and the pageantry - Powell and Pressburger and Cassavetes. "The Rules of the Game" and "Husbands." "The Last Detail" and "The River."

The "spiritual journey" is used as pretext. Some people really don't like this. There is so much humor in watching three brothers stoned on Indian pharmaceuticals, trying to pray and getting sidetracked by arguments over stolen belts and confided secrets. They are flawed. People are flawed. Audiences tend to like their characters so likable that they are bland stereotypes. People can be privileged and disaffected AND still be beautiful and intriguing.

In the end, this movie is a fun ride. A stroll through various imaginative carts, occupied by compartments of colorful characters and incidents. Wes is further interweaving his "dollhouse" aesthetic with the real world. He is not so hung up on inventing every little thing and I could tell he was finding faces and peripheral details just as they were, waiting for him in India.

Nine bucks well spent for me. This guy's taking chances - some don't work. He's trying to push the medium forward in terms of tone. Some parts of his movies are difficult. Some people will get left behind. But for me, someone whose watched his films grow in scope and daring, I think he's an American treasure who may never arrive at the perfect film, but he'll continue to integrate cinema's history in new and exciting ways.

Given the trademark quirkiness yet insight into many profound truths of human behaviour one would expect from director Wes Anderson, it should come as no surprise that his latest film, The Darjeeling Limited, demonstrates the majority of these traits with particular flair and distinction, arguably Anderson's strongest work to date.

The typically disjointed plot details three brothers (Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman) who, in an attempt to bridge the gap between them, embark on a "spiritual journey" across India by train. Of course, considering Anderson's tendency towards offbeat comedic situations, and a series of problems involving Indian cough syrup, a poisonous cobra and pepper spray, the journey does not, of course, go as planned, and the brothers are forced to cope with their increasingly difficult situation and each other in turn.

Do not mistake the film for the conventional road trip buddy comedy it may appear to be - Anderson is far too eclectic and clever to subscribe to such traditional fare, and his film is instead a far more emotional effort. With a particular knack for intricate character and storyline development, Anderson's script carefully doles out tidbits of character history throughout, painting a gradual and remarkably detailed portrait of the central characters as the film progresses. Though the film may drag or feel as if it falls slightly short of its true potential at times, on the whole it is far to easy to be swept up by the film to dwell on such minor concerns.

The gorgeous Indian scenery is captured with particular affection by Anderson's jarring cinematography and sharp eye for intriguing colour schemes. The film's wonderfully fitting soundtrack perfectly compliments the sublime visuals, making for one of the most aesthetically pleasing films in recent memory.

The central three actors are the real draw of the film, and all three boast excellent chemistry throughout. Owen Wilson, as usual, is effortlessly funny as spiritually obsessive control freak Francis, but also brings a tragic undercurrent to his character, made more poignant due to recent real life events out of character. A superb Adrien Brody steals the show as the emotionally unstable soon to be father Pete, demonstrating both previously unseen comedic abilities, and genuinely affecting emotional clout. As bitter writer Jack, Jason Schwartzman proves proficient at raising many a laugh, but despite his strong performance is easily overshone by his two co-stars during the film's dramatic moments. Watch also for amusing cameos from Bill Murray and Natalie Portman (featured more significantly in the film's 13 minute prequel found online at www.hotelchevalier.com), and a somewhat forced supporting role from Angelica Huston near the end.

Like the rest of Anderson's other work, audiences will likely either love it or hate it. This is not a typical belly laugh evoking comedy à-la-Superbad - the humour present is more sly and chuckle worthy, and prides itself more on precisely crafted characters and situations than sight gags and one liners. Those willing to appreciate the film for what it is will enjoy an intelligent and touching spiritual meditation on family, and life in general. The joy is in the journey, and a journey as quirky and sentimental as this is one easily worth taking - for those willing to put forth the effort to overcome mainstream expectations, the film will not disappoint.

-8/10

The Darjeeling Limited is certainly a visually appealing movie. The rich colors of southeast Asia mesh wonderfully with Anderson's penchant for precise set-pieces, and it make the entire experience a pleasure to watch. 

As for the rest of the movie, you probably already know if you're into Wes Anderson's brand of story. The father issues, the esoteric musical choices, the slightly surreal quality of each character - it's all here. The three brothers are well-conceived, with personalities that directly influence the overall narrative and the resolution. I liked it. It's more of the same, but pleasant enough to make that seem like a minor issue.

Oh, and be sure to watch the Hotel Chevalier short before The Darjeeling Limited. It helps fill in the back-story for one of the brothers, and it's an interesting movie in it's own right.

I am a fan of Wes Anderson's movies. I liked all his previous offerings: Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Rushmore, in particular, was superb. All had a similar structure: character-driven, rather than plot-driven, dramas with moments of offbeat comedy and quaint bitter-sweet pictures of everyday people and the ups and downs of their lives.

The Darjeeling Limited is no exception, in terms of structure, and for the first half of the movie promises to be at least as good as his best (i.e. Rushmore, for me). However, it loses direction, focus and momentum in the second half, to the point that I was eagerly waiting for it to end.

It could have been a lot better.

After three viewings of "The Darjeeling Limited" I find myself quite certain that this is not Wes Anderson's best film in the sense that it's not his best-paced film and it may have some moments that are a little too heavy-handed. However, I find that these little flaws add to the charm of the film because of the way it is constructed and written. It almost feels like one is part of the journey and since no journey of this sort is perfect or fully enjoyable it's almost fitting that this film isn't

I laughed out loud more during "The Darjeeling Limited" than during any other Wes Anderson movie, although "Rushmore" is probably more of an outright comedy. This screenplay wasn't written with Owen Wilson, as Anderson instead chose to team up with Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman for this project, presumably due to Wilson being too busy to do it. The result is a slightly inconsistent (and, as mentioned before, heavy-handed) screenplay but one with loads of delicious irony, wit, and dry humor. It's great stuff, really. There is a lot of depth to be found here as well, especially with Anderson's use of recurrent imagery in the film. There is perhaps more maturity and understanding of human nature here than in any previous Wes Anderson films.

The acting is once again top-notch here from Brody, Wilson, and Schwartzman, and Anderson's use of music is again incredibly fitting and beautiful while also being perhaps less frequent and distracting than his other films, allowing less room for accusations detractors frequently make that Anderson is nothing more than a glorified music video director. Also of note while discussing music is the use of various Satyajit Ray compositions in an acknowledgment of one of his cinematic idols and main inspirations, not only for this film but in general.

"The Darjeeling Limited" demands multiple viewings. It is a rich, complex, detailed, and gorgeous film which is a unique and fascinating look at some familiar thematic material recurrent in Anderson's work. It's not a perfect film, but it's definitely one of the best films of the year.