Wes Anderson's adventure in India is not one to be missed

Tonight was perhaps the night I had been looking foreword to most all year. Being a huge fan of Wes Anderson this would mark the first time I had seen one of his films in theaters and after viewing the trailer time after time and reading early reviews I could not wait. Despite some negative early reviews I still had faith in the film and luckily I was not disappointed in the least. It is not quite his best film which I feel is Royal Tenenbaums and it comes close to reaching the greatness of Life Aquatic. It is as emotional and heartfelt as his last films while still retaining humorous and funny.

Francis Whitman has arranged for his two brothers Jack and Peter to come to a trip to India so they can reunite and become brothers again. All of the brothers have their own personal problems they are going through; Francis has just had a bad motorcycle accident, Jack is coming out of an odd relationship, and Peter is in a marriage he always thought would fail and finds out his wife is pregnant. While on the train with tons of luggage Francis brings his personal assistant whom he constantly mistreats as well as the group having a supply of prescription medication and pain killers they get high off of. More complications arise when Jack falls for a stewardess and the group gets kicked off the train.

One thing Wes Anderson was always good at was attention to detail and consistently following in characters traits. He makes no exception here and the little details make this film that much better. Prescription medicine, pain killers, and cigarettes seem to appear a lot and they always seemed to be in the film a lot whether in the background or not. In the film Francis loses a shoe and puts on another one, as a result he is wearing two different shoes the entire time. Jack is also seen barefoot in just about every scene. Minor details and quirks like these are what help make Wes Anderson’s films funnier, more consistent, and help enhance the film.

The acting is great as is the case with most of Anderson’s films and most of his regulars can be found here. Owen Wilson is great as Francis who is the oldest and likes to be in command. He has a schedule and likes to be in control to the point where he orders food for his brothers. Newcomer to Anderson, Adrian Brody does an excellent job here as Peter. He is generally more lighthearted but has a lot of emotions with his personal life and is more complex than he appears. Jason Schwartzman does a fine job as the last brother and the most fun to look at due to his facial emotions and smaller size. He is a writer and has a girlfriend but in a weird position with her, he also just spent a year in Paris. Angelica Houston makes a brief appearance as the brother’s mom and Bill Murray makes a small cameo. Also former Simpson’s writer Wallace Wolodrasky has a small but funny role. The acting is certainly good but the three main characters are essentially what hold the film together.

Wes Anderson has always done a good job with sound tracks and here we are subjected to another fine batch of songs and sounds to fit the mood. Here he gets the help Satyajit Ray to help with the Indian atmosphere and feel. Also to be found in the soundtrack is various songs by the Kinks and Rolling Stones to give the film a laid back but serious feeling. The soundtrack not only enhances the mood but helps give the film more of an identity and certainly helps the film out since this film doesn’t generally contain as much dialogue as Anderson’s previous films.

The screenplay is quite memorable and is nicely written. It is emotional enough to really sell the film but is also quite witty and many funny one-liners are present. It is not as tightly written as his last films due to the fact that not all lose ends are wrapped up but still resolves the core conflict. However out of all of Anderson’s films I might like a sequel to this one since not all conflicts are solved and more than enough room would certainly be there for a sequel. This time Wes Anderson gets some writing help from Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman, the three do a fine job but I hope Owen Wilson comes back to write another film with Anderson since he did co-write his first three films.

Overall the Darjeeling Limited is easily worth the price of admission and proved to be one of the most fulfilling experiences of the year. With the right mix of comedy and drama, it managed to be sad and emotionally draining at parts but make you laugh at others all while blending in each scene. It may be a little short but it does accomplish what it sets out to do. Wes Anderson is clearly trying new things and not repeating himself. His creativity is still going strong and the film takes new risks and in the end I felt it all paid off. It probably won’t go down as his best film but I doubt it will be called his worst. It outdoes his first three films but seems to fall a tad short of Life Aquatic. Although it is not playing in too many theaters I urge everyone to see this since it is a very unique experience and one of the best films of the year. Emotionally satisfying while establishing real characters who could be anyone, I hope Wes Anderson can match himself in his next venture.

4.5 stars rounded up

Cast

Owen Wilson ... Francis

Adrien Brody ... Peter

Jason Schwartzman ... Jack

Amara Karan ... Rita

Wallace Wolodarsky ... Brendan