Filmikaze!

By: Wes Anderson (director, writer), Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman (writers)

Starring: Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman

Three American brothers who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other — to become brothers again like they used to be. Their “spiritual quest”, however, veers rapidly off-course (due to events involving over-the-counter pain killers, Indian cough syrup, and pepper spray), and they eventually find themselves stranded alone in the middle of the desert with eleven suitcases, a printer, and a laminating machine. At this moment, a new, unplanned journey suddenly begins.

Wes Anderson films are always something of a crap shoot for me. As a general rule, I find his irreverent style applied too thickly for my personal tastes, but he has been known to impress me under the right circumstances. Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman are favorites of mine, so I figured The Darjeeling Limited was worth a try.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: being quirky does not a movie make. There were aspects of this film that I found extremely charming or clever or funny, but there was no consistency to the quality or pacing. I think I’m like most movie goers in that if I don’t know what the hell is going on, I at least need to feel like I’ll eventually find out, which was not the case here at all. The film is well acted and beautifully shot, but it’s entirely too stream of consciousness. I feel like Anderson dropped some acid, put on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and this is what came out of it.

Having seen Fantastic Mr. Fox, it’s now my official opinion that Wes Anderson should only be allowed to make delightful children’s movies. His sense of whimsy translates so much better in that genre than when he takes on heavier fare.