Bill C’s Review – 4 out of 5
The Grand Budapest Hotel is the latest quirky, highly-stylized comedy from Wes Anderson. He is one of the few filmmakers that can be identified by watching just a few frames from his films. His films are visually stunning through his use of colors, the way he tracks people and action, and his stylistic use of special effects.
For those not familiar with Anderson, he is the director of The Royal Tenenbaums, Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, and Moonrise Kingdom—all really good movies, with The Royal Tenenbaums being my favorite.
The Grand Budapest Hotel is more of a dark comedy starring Ralph Fiennes as M. Gustav, the head concierge in a central European hotel during the dark days before a fictionalized version of WWII as seen through the eyes of the new lobby boy, Zero. The plot deals with the murder of one of the frequent hotel guests, the search for the murderer (after M. Gustav is accused) and a priceless painting, and the friendship between M. Gustav and Zero. While this is not continuously laugh-out-loud funny, it is funny throughout even though it’s also a bit sad/melancholy at the end.
As usual with Wes Anderson films, there is a large ensemble cast, including many Anderson regulars such as Bill Murray, Bob Balaban, Edward Norton, and Owen Wilson.
Wes Anderson fans should definitely see this movie, and if you’ve never seen one of his films, you should give him a try.
This movie is eye-candy. Each scene was like viewing a brightly-colored masterpiece!