Wes Anderson's done it again, this time with a film about a big, sugary pink hotel and its delightful employees. The film is helmed by Wes Anderson, whose quick witted, eccentric films have graced our theaters since Bottle Rocket in '96. Since his beginnings, he has gone from an extremely indie filmmaker to perhaps one of the most easily recognizable directors in terms of style, usually making use of the same actors and always, always, giving us that trademark quirky tone that we have come to love and adore.
The Grand Budapest Hotel is no different. It begins with a ridiculously endless series of recollections (and bear with me as we wade through the pool of celebrity guests in the cast): a girl sits beside the bust with the title, "Author", reading the story of a writer (Tom Wilkinson) who looks back at his younger self (Jude Law), who looks back on the time he met Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham), the owner of the forgotten glory, Grand Budapest Hotel, who looks back on the series of events of how he came to own said hotel.
And here our story really begins: the Grand Budapest Hotel resides in the fictional country, Zubrowka, somehow remaining untouched by the "barbaric slaughterhouse we know as humanity". Young Zero (Tony Revolori) becomes a lobby boy at the Grand Budapest Hotel, under the tutelage of Monsieur Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes), the pleasant mannered, perfumed, downright legendary gigolo of a concierge. Monsieur Gustave is not just a playboy, however: he genuinely enjoys people, and he never forgets a face, making him the sort of person to whom many are drawn... he seems to be, in fact, the reason that people come to the hotel in the first place: he has quite the reputation, and attracts a rich, sometimes lonely (and, as Mr. Moustafa points out, blonde) crowd. One lady from this crowd, the elderly Madame D, (Tilda Swinton), dies, leaving Gustave a painting called "Boy With Apple", much to her family's chagrin... most notably, her son, Dmitri (Adrien Brody), who, when it is revealed that Madame D was murdered, sets up a series of events that ultimately shepherds Gustave straight into jail, leaving young Zero to handle things at the Grand Budapest Hotel. Gustave schemes with Zero through letters, conjuring up a way to escape the prison and clear the concierge's name, with the aid of Zero's fiance and baker at Mendl's Bakery, Agatha (Saiorse Ronan).
That abbreviated plot summary does not even cover the rest of the cast: there are guest appearances by Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Mathieu Amalric, Jeff Goldblum... there are more, but you get the picture. Ralph Fiennes is delightful -- it may be my favorite role of his so far -- and I hope we see a lot more of Tony Revolori in films to come. To be honest, the amount of characters in the film made it a little hard for any of the other actors to really shine, though they all did a fantastic job regardless. That may be the only complaint I can find for this film: there was a lot packed into the hour and forty minutes that Wes Anderson gave us, and it may have been just too much to allow character development... but the plot was precise, with beat after beat of comical farce to keep us engaged.
The story of the Grand Budapest Hotel also lets us in on the secret of living fully under persecution. The lighthearted nature of the film may not have captured an accurate depiction of what this situation would be like, but it does capture the truth and essence of a world in which finding something to look fondly on or laugh about is the only thing that will get you through the day. We see this as Zero Moustafa becomes older, and experiences the inevitable heartbreak that life brings: he is able to take it with stride, keeping his memories of the good times and enjoying what he has left in front of him.
Come see the film at the Midtown Cinema! You'll be sure to enjoy yourself.
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