Like a much-needed vacation, Wes Anderson's latest comedy remains pure escapism. In the time of year wrought with god-awful action flicks and dramas so bad they didn't even want to compete in Oscar season, The Grand Budapest Hotel finds the cult director of Moonrise Kingdom and The Royal Tenenbaums once again in top form, aided by the incomparable Ralph Fiennes. The film remains a master-class in acting, direction, and, of course, screenwriting that will amuse general audiences and enthrall resident cinephiles.
Told with the loving devotion to characters common in the director/screenwriter's finest achievements, The Grand Budapest Hotel has two central leads (Fiennes and newcomer Tony Revolori), with a multitude of secondary protagonists, antagonists, and everyone else in between. A writer in the 1980's (Tom Wilkinson in the 1980's, Jude Law in flashbacks during the 1950's) reminisces over an encounter he once had with the owner of the infamous Grand Budapest Hotel, Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham), who tells him the story of how he acquired ownership of the franchise. The flashbacks during the 1930's dominate the narrative of the movie, and feature the adventures of the young Zero (Revolori), and his relationship with his boss and the famous manager of the Grand Budapest, Monsieur Gustave H. (Fiennes). He sleeps with old women, loves romantic poetry, and runs his hotel with a demand for perfection.
The master and apprentice end up becoming involved in the death of an elderly zillionaire (Tilda Swinton), and find themselves on the run from her cuckoo family and a deadly bounty hunter (Willem Dafoe). Along the way, they encounter a plethora of noted actors and actresses, which include no less than: Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Mathieu Amalric, Harvey Keitel, Owen Wilson, Jeff Goldblum, Saoirse Ronan, Jason Schwartzman, and Wes Anderson-favorite Bill Murray.
Most of the characters only appear in a few scenes, which puts a lot of pressure on the shoulders of Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revolori, who's chemistry ends up becoming so vital to the success of the picture. With Grand Budapest, Ralph Fiennes proves his versatility as an actor by playing the absolutely hilarious Gustave, stealing every scene with a bizarre charm and wonderful virtuoso. Even though it is only March, he has a very serious chance of stealing a nomination for Best Actor- something he righteously deserves. Revolori's success comes in standing on his own next to the Oscar-nominated Fiennes, and appears to have a promising career ahead of him. Both men enter the Wes Anderson canon as if they've been there the whole time.
As typical of the auteur's style, everything in The Grand Budapest Hotel is just slightly off. There's something strange about the setting's exaggerated colors and shapes, and the story takes comedic licenses with several plot twists and character interactions. But Anderson has always filmed like the love child of Tim Burton and Quentin Tarantino, with wonderful characters interacting with artistic surroundings that never could exist in the real world. It's a movie's movie.
The cinematography and directorial style equals the styles of the time periods in which the narrative takes place. Anderson puts the 1930's scenes in a 1.33 aspect ratio, the 1950's in 1.85, and the 1980's in 2.35:1. It's a change that's hardly noticeable if you're not paying attention, but frequent moviegoers will appreciate Anderson's cinematic history knowledge.
However, The Grand Budapest Hotel, amidst it's bubbly wackiness, gives a striking commentary of strict regimes and racist militaries. Zero, an immigrant with a shockingly depressing backstory, is under the constant guard of Gustave, who understands that humanity has slipped into barbary. While the story is set in the 1930's, and features Nazi-like villains, the film is nevertheless contemporary- almost as if Anderson is noting the troubled tragedy of the world his characters are free from. He has no desire to live in such a conflicted livelihood, so he allows his writing to avoid the world's troubles by placing them in fake paradises and otherworldly cities. Anderson is just merely inviting us to live in his universe for a few hours, and we don't want to leave once the credits begin to roll.
Last, but certainly not least, Wes Anderson's original screenplay will earn him an Oscar nomination. With each new movie, the director is able to add more and more characters without compromising each of their qualities; even those who are on the screen for just a few moments seem to have deep, deep backstories, as if the audience can understand their lives completely. This takes immense writing talent, and is something that Anderson just gets better and better at doing. It's an added perk that the wacky writing remains chock-full of jokes, wisecracks, and a meticulous attention to detail. Just a small little gem, to whet your appetite: "What happened, my dear Zero, is I beat the living s**t out of a sniveling little runt called Pinky Bandinski. You should take a long look at his ugly mug this morning. He's actually become a dear friend."
With The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson manages to create a completely original work of motion picture art, bringing strong characters to the forefront of the action. It's worth the price of admission just to see Ralph Fiennes shine in comedic form, chewing the scenery and looking like he's having the time of his life. A writer's achievement that's only aided but the multitude of powerhouse performers that love working with the auteur, you'll want return to The Grand Budapest Hotel year after year.
Five out of five stars.
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