The general understanding about Wes Anderson films tend to focus on the precise nature of his scenes. There is rarely any prop, any background, or any actor in the wrong place. The dialogue is written precisely, the music is perfectly chosen, and even the text on the screen is rendered in just the right font. The "Wes Anderson style" is distinct and instantly recognizable, as can be seen in this fake movie trailer from Saturday Night Live.
However, if all there was to his films were their style, he wouldn't be a favorite director of mine. You see, inside that outer shell of perfectly chosen phones, record players, furniture, and wall paper beats the vivid heart of emotional resonance. Each of his movies are full of moments painful and cathartic. At one moment you'll be laughing belly laughs, and the next on the verge of tears. None of his movies end are truly happy. They are never completely sad either, but the hope is tinged with loss, even if the sadness is often softened by optimism.
The Grand Budapest Hotel is certainly a Wes Anderson film. Whether it's a prison, a palatial mansion, or the titular hotel, the usual Anderson love of details and styles long past can be found. The stop-motion animation and stilted movement that creates the comparisons of his films to animation are all here, as are the usual touches like the alpine-inspired soundtrack, the appearance by Anderson usuals such as Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman, and the birthmark of one of the characters that is shaped like Mexico. It would all be too precious if it wasn't for the other Anderson touches being there as well.
The movie is full of humor, sadness, and a sense of lost grandeur. It's also filled with genuine moments of tension, a surprising amount of violence, and just the right amount of naked fat old men getting sprayed by a fire hose. Like many of his movies, the film ends quietly, with a touch of sadness that at the same time left me feeling happy. Or was it happiness tinged with sadness?
On the other hand, this isn't just a retread of his previous work. Anderson experiments with the structure of this film, presenting the story in three distinct time periods, although most of the film occurs during the 1930s. Each time period has a different aspect ratio, which is a clear indicator of what time period you are in. There are two versions of the hotel: the glory days of the 1930s, and the more utilitarian era of 1968. There are two characters that are shown in multiple versions of the timelines. Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori in 1932/F. Murray Abraham in 1968) and The Author (Jude Law in 1968/Tom Wilkinson 1985). In effect, the main story is being read by a young woman as written by The Author, as told to him by the aged Zero.
Like all of his films, it is full of very good performances. Ralph Fiennes, as Monsieur Gustave H. is particularly great, a refined model concierge of The Grand Budapest Hotel, who also cusses a blue streak and "goes to bed with all of his friends". Tony Revolori is great as Lobby Boy in Training Zero, and Saoirse Ronan does a good job as his girlfriend (and later fiancee) Agatha the baker. F. Murray Abraham* does a wonderful job as the older Zero, hitting the notes of nostalgia both happy and sad perfectly. Willem Dafoe is creepy as usual, and Adrian Brody plays up his frequently slimy side as the closest thing to an enemy that Gustave H has. Anderson usuals both perennial (Murray, Schwartzman, Owen Wilson) and more recent (Bob Balaban, Tilda Swinton, and Harvey Keitel) all show up and do their usual good job. And as the Author, Wilkinson and Law do well with what amounts to relatively small, but crucial parts.
So where would I rank this film on the scale from Beautiful Awesome (The Royal Tenenbaums) to merely Very, Very, Great (The Darjeeling Limited)? I figure somewhere in the middle. It's technical achievements and emotional punch serves it well, but I still find films such as the aforementioned Tenenbaums, Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Bottle Rocket, and Moonrise Kingdom much more personally affecting. All in all, the middle of the pack of Wes Anderson films is not a bad place to be.
Recommendation: Strong Recommendation
* With Inside Llewyn Davis last year, Abraham has very quickly completed two of the three legs of the "Doctor Strangeblog Director Triangle" of Wes Anderson/P.T. Anderson/Coen Brothers. As far as I know no-one has completed all three legs. Please feel free to correct me on this.
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