Wes Anderson burst onto the scene with his debut film, Bottle Rocket. He avoided the sophomore
slump with Rushmore, which many
consider to be his best picture though I've always been partial to The Royal Tenenbaums. After his third picture,
Anderson seemed to be spinning his wheels with The Life Aquatic and The
Darjeeling Limited. They felt less like original works and more like
someone trying hard to ape Anderson's idiosyncratic style. If any director's
visual approach lent itself to animation, it would be Anderson, which is why The Fantastic Mr. Fox was so…well,
fantastic. His foray into stop-motion animation may have rejuvenated Anderson
as his return to live-action, Moonrise
Kingdom, is a return to form.
Co-written by Anderson and Roman Coppola, the story is set
in 1965 on the fictional isle of New Penzance, located off the coast of Rhode
Island. 12-year old orphan Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman) has a hard time fitting
in. He's a member of the Khaki Scouts, but none of the other boys like him. His
foster parents don't know what to do with him. It's no wonder Sam forges an
instant bond with the sullen Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward). She's constantly
getting into trouble at school while her parents, Walt (Bill Murray) and Laura
(Frances McDormand), make little effort to understand her. It doesn't help that
Laura is having an affair with the island's sole policeman, Captain Sharp
(Bruce Willis). When Sam and Suzy run away together, everyone engages in a
frantic search for the young lovebirds.
Their escape is more than just about finding their place in
the world. It's also about escaping from the cynicism and loneliness they
observe in the adults around them. Despite the possibilities of doom and gloom,
Anderson approaches the story with a playful nature and his trademark dry sense
of humor. The romance between Sam and Suzy is imbued with a sweet-natured
innocence that is accentuated by sequences that veer into cartoon territory. At
one point, Sam is struck by lightning, but survives with nothing more than a
face full of soot. A tightly edited sequence of written correspondence
effectively sets up the romance and adventure to come.
Visually, Moonrise
Kingdom is everything you expect from Wes Anderson, gorgeously photographed
on Super 16 by cinematographer Robert Yeoman. There's an aura of timelessness
to the film thanks to its vintage look. Anderson meticulously composes every
one of his shots as if he were painting a tableau. The sets open up as if they
were a doll house as the camera tracks from left to right. One of the best
scenes takes place at the Khaki Scouts' headquarters as the camera follows the
characters while boys in the background zipline, shoot arrows, and light
firecrackers.
Music has always been an integral component of Anderson's
pictures and the soundtrack to Moonrise
Kingdom is an eclectic compliment to the love story. In addition to
original compositions by Alexandre Desplat, there are tracks by Hank Williams
and Francoise Hardy. The film opens with a selection from The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra by British composer
Benjamin Britten, which works as a child's introduction to classical music. The
piece symbolically represents the kids' first steps into maturity.
The leads are wonderfully played by newcomers Jared Gilman
and Kara Hayward. As Suzy, Hayward looks like she stepped right out of a French
New Wave film with her chic pink dress, thick eyes shadow, and pouty demeanor. Bill
Murray is back in yet another understated role while another Anderson vet Jason
Schwartzman appears briefly as an older scout. Collaborating with Anderson for
the first time are Ed Norton, who does a splendid job as an "aww,
shucks" scoutmaster, and Bruce Willis. It's refreshing to see Willis in
this type of role because you forget he can really act when not trapped in
another dumb action flick. His Captain Sharp is a cop that is the polar
opposite of John McClane. Willis isn't afraid to look a little pathetic from
time to time, especially when he's trudging around with pant legs that are too
short. But, if there was any actor ever born to star in a Wes Anderson movie,
it is Tilda Swinton. She takes on the antagonistic role of a character referred
to only as Social Services, a looming specter of the Dickensian dread that
awaits Sam should he be found.
Moonrise Kingdom
was one of my favorite films from the first half of the year. It will
doubtlessly find its way onto my year-end list as well. This is a tender and
humorous love story that exemplifies Wes Anderson at his best.
Rating: *** ½ (*****)
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