'The Grand Budapest Hotel' review by Captain Raptor
I'm a little on the fence about Wes Anderson. I've seen two of his films, one an absolute delight (The Royal Tenenbaums), the other awkward tedium (The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou). His latest offering provides me with an opportunity to form a more definitive opinion of him, especially as The Grand Budapest Hotel is the most Wes Anderson-y film imaginable: wacky characters, deadpan comedy, everything is in the middle of the screen and it's got the Holy Andersonian Trilogy of Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman.
In a nutshell, The Grand Budapest Hotel is good, but it's got far too many frills. It's got a unique set of characters and an interesting story, admirably held up by Ralph Fiennes' amazing leading performance. He is as energetic as humanly possible, delivers every line perfectly and slips in some emotional undertones into a preposterous character - Gustave H is the film's cornerstone, a poetry-quoting, well-mannered, ostentatious concierge, and when the film does lag, he keeps the wheels in motion. This lagging comes from a rather style-over-substance approach to film making. The cinematography is genuinely beautiful, but he puts too much focus onto this and not enough into his writing or directing. As such, a lot of the dialogue is under-developed, and some of the intended humour isn't presented in a particularly funny way. Maybe the biggest flaw is that every actor delivers their deliberately ridiculous lines in a deadpan style, which loses any impact when everybody's doing it at all moments.
Other distractions include a needlessly complex storytelling method (Four time periods, three different narrators and a story within a story), jokes that simply run on for too long, and a multitude of cameos that add nothing. However, some of the cast members are quite entertaining, especially Adrien Brody's vitriolic inheritor and newcomer Tony Revolori's quiet but dedicared lobby boy. The relationship dynamic between him and Gustave is excellent, both funny and poignant, although mostly the first. There are the occasional moments of stark emotion among the farce and whimsy of the rest of the film, and their isolation makes them hit home even harder.
The Grand Budapest is clever, stylish and original. These are all excellent qualities to possess, but the film does feel somewhat hollow and lacking in substance. It is funny, but it's not hilarious, and it is entertaining, but it's not captivating. The early parts are kind of dull, and some parts are just weak, but there's so much charming fun to be had that it's difficult not to enjoy the experience. An incredibly energetic and on-form Ralph Fiennes really elevates the film, and the silliness of the film is endearing. All in all it is a success and it is a film that I would recommend, but there's substantial flaws and clear room for improvement.
Other distractions include a needlessly complex storytelling method (Four time periods, three different narrators and a story within a story), jokes that simply run on for too long, and a multitude of cameos that add nothing. However, some of the cast members are quite entertaining, especially Adrien Brody's vitriolic inheritor and newcomer Tony Revolori's quiet but dedicared lobby boy. The relationship dynamic between him and Gustave is excellent, both funny and poignant, although mostly the first. There are the occasional moments of stark emotion among the farce and whimsy of the rest of the film, and their isolation makes them hit home even harder.
The Grand Budapest is clever, stylish and original. These are all excellent qualities to possess, but the film does feel somewhat hollow and lacking in substance. It is funny, but it's not hilarious, and it is entertaining, but it's not captivating. The early parts are kind of dull, and some parts are just weak, but there's so much charming fun to be had that it's difficult not to enjoy the experience. An incredibly energetic and on-form Ralph Fiennes really elevates the film, and the silliness of the film is endearing. All in all it is a success and it is a film that I would recommend, but there's substantial flaws and clear room for improvement.
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