Wednesday, March 11, 2015

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Grand Budapest HotelThe Gist: A famed concierge is unwittingly ensnared in a murderous plot when one of his most prestigious guests is assassinated.  Will he succeed in clearing his name with the help of his trusted Lobby Boy?

Wes Anderson is the famously quirky director of such little gems as Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Royal Tenenbaums, which I remember very fondly.  The Grand Budapest Hotel follows in the tradition, as far as oddball capers go, and only solidifies Anderson’s reputation as a refined storyteller.

The cast is a sprawling parade of some of the best known names in Hollywood, especially for their acting abilities: Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Jude Law, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, and others.

That, in and of itself, should make you want to check it out, but it’s Anderson’s screenplay and direction that give all those actors something interesting to do and masterfully weave it all together.

The Bottom Line: Nominated for a Best Picture Oscar (and many others), this is a must-see if you like Anderson and should be checked out by any movie lover.  It’s a really endearing story and it’s superbly acted and directed.

Grade: 9

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