Review: The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014):

Synopsis – A womanizer is accused of murder when some old bird he had relations with leaves him her prized possession. A mad cap crazy adventure ensues and... Oh jeez, I cannot sum up this movie. So much stuff happens!

Starring – Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, a lot of others. Don't look it up, it's better to be surprised!

What a rush. I knew I was going to like The Grand Budapest Hotel, because I happen to be one of those people who find Wes Anderson movies utterly entertaining. When I see a movie that I like as much as this, I fold. I know that there are words in my head, and I could explain them out loud to someone given enough time, but putting them down in the written form is a daunting task. So I cheated. I asked my girlfriend Sarah to give her 2 cents about the movie. She went above and beyond and I am so happy with the results! Check it out:

The Grand Budapest Hotel was another classic Wes Anderson picture. I was on the edge of my seat when this movie started. I have to admit upfront that I am biased. I’ve loved Wes Anderson since I saw Rushmore. I’ve come to find all of his storytelling comforting. I feel like I know what I’m in for with a Wes Anderson movie. This movie did not disappoint me at all.

The cinematography was amazing (Amazing is an understatement). I found myself wondering how long it took to make all of the uniforms, or how they blended miniatures seamlessly into a live action scene. The sets looked like [Anderson] personally had gone traveling all over the world for years looking for the perfect room to make these scenes work.

The story is framed by a maze of stories within stories. You keep trying to attach yourself to something that you figure will be the jumping off point but as soon as you do, the movie takes another turn. I started wondering where this took place and feeling stupid. I mean I know the title says it’s in Budapest, but you feel like you are somewhere unfamiliar and not just because this is another country in another time. It feels like fantasy. The story is centered on the character called M. Gustave and his protégé Zero. They work in a hotel known as The Grand Budapest. M Gustave, played by Ralph Fiennes, is a snooty concierge who is hilarious and perfect in this role. I was so happy with the tenacity in which he took on this ridiculous character that I couldn’t help smiling. Just as in many Wes Anderson movies before, the protagonist is a proud know-it-all that barks orders at others around him, placing extreme importance on things that seem so trivial to the rest of us. I was reminded of the Steve Zissou character in Life Aquatic and Royal Tenenbaum in The Royal Tenenbaums. These characters have some really unlikeable qualities and they seem to undermine everyone around them. It’s funny to me when I think about the people [Anderson] chooses to tell stories about. You feel like they could tell you something like “I’m the best t ball player that ever lived!” Also it’s uncanny how they always tend to have minions following them around waiting to hear what wisdom or direction they have to give out next. I don’t want to spoil the story but it is a fun caper complete with trains, prison breaks and sprinting through fields (reminiscent of Oh Brother, Where Art Thou). There were so many famous people in this movie they almost didn’t have room for them all and some of them had very small cameos. [SPOILER] Joel and I both uttered out loud in unison “Fisher Stevens?!” when he appeared on screen.

I had a lot of fun watching it and I recommend it to anyone expecting something silly and beautiful. I left the theater wondering where we had been the whole time.

Verdict:

Seriously, I couldn’t have done a better job. Sarah has a talent for writing that I hope to exploit we will all get to read more often! Listen, when it comes to Wes Anderson movies, you either like his stuff or you don’t. If you don’t mind some foul language you are going to have a really fun time with this movie. AND GO SEE IT IN THE THEATER! It is something to behold with only a few places I could nitpick at. But why do that? Sit back and enjoy the ride!