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The
Life Aquatic
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Rated: R
Directed by: WES ANDERSON
Written by: WES ANDERSON, NOAH BAUMBACH
Starring: BILL MURRAY, OWEN WILSON, CATE BLANCHETT, ANJELICA
HUSTON, JEFF GOLDBLUM
Released by: Touchstone
Pictures
In
Short: This seaborne family tale is one
of the more visually interesting films of the
year, and one of the most bizarre. |
|
If
it Quirks Like a Duck…
Something's
Fishy in The Life Aquatic
By
Andrew Bender
we
adore quirk, and Wes Anderson’s previous films (The
Royal Tennenbaums, Rushmore) had quirk by
the bucketful. Yet, Anderson’s latest, The Life
Aquatic, is so quirky as to be indulgent, and it tested
even our patience.
It
stars Bill Murray as Steve Zissou, a modern-day American
Jacques Cousteau who’s spent decades making documentaries
of his undersea exploits. Just when his work has lost
its spark, in walks Ned (Owen Wilson), claiming to be
Steve’s long-lost son. Steve seizes the opportunity
to incorporate Ned into his films, boost his ratings and
realign his outlook on life. This seems a reasonable premise
for a movie, but the pacing may remind you of why you
stopped watching Cousteau documentaries; the Life Aquatic
moves as aimlessly as a jellyfish.
If
you’ve watched a jellyfish swim, though, you know
that they’re hard to keep your eyes off of, and
that’s the case with this film too. Murray and Wilson
are always interesting, and there’s no word for
Anjelica Huston and Jeff Goldblum’s performances
as Zissou’s wife and a rival explorer; we’d
have to invent one meaning neither cloying nor over the
top, but hilariously close to both.
Plus, Anderson dispenses enough bait to keep us hooked:
brightly colored marine life (courtesy of Henry Selick,
the animator behind The Nightmare Before Christmas),
tours through the ship in cross-section and lush David
Bowie melodies sung in Portuguese (by the Brazilian singer/actor
Seu Jorge, of City of God). These remind you
that the world of The Life Aquatic is somewhere other
than reality – and what a talented filmmaker Anderson
is.
Maybe
the best summary is this: think of the last nature film
you watched. Do you remember the whole thing, or a particular
moment? If you’re a moment person, you’ll
probably leave the theater immensely sated; otherwise,
wait to rent it. |
