Last weekend H and I got a rare opportunity to see a movie! There wasn't much out that we could agree on seeing: other than the lingering Avengers and Dark Knight Rises it was mostly just the typical late summer Hollywood crap polluting the screens.
With some trepidation, and based on a good Kermode review and a 94% Rotten Tomatoes rating, we decided to give the latest Wes Anderson outing, Moonrise Kingdom, a shot.
Most Wes Anderson movies are infuriatingly kooky. It worked alright in The Royal Tannenbaums, but the rest of Anderson's catalog to date has been just too much. In fact, I found most of them to be kooky to the point of smugness. It is almost like he is saying if you don't find this funny, you are too crass to watch the movie. It is a little like Joyce's and Elliot's attitude towards the common reader, except Anderson doesn't have an iota of the talent to earn the attitude.
In Moonrise Kingdom, Anderson is able to temper the kook just enough to make a good movie. It helps that the story is centered around two endearing children and Anderson is smart enough to treat the characters with respect and tenderness. The strong center holds the kookiness of the rest of the movie in check.
The movie also benefits from an excellent performance from Bruce Willis as a downtrodden, good hearted police offer that becomes the surprising hero of the film.
Anderson favorite Bill Murray turns in a workman like performance. Murray's performance is paltry compared to Frances McDormand's portrayal of his wife. She makes you feel the conflicts of being a good mother, good wife, and lusting for more adventure in life. You can see from McDormand's character where Suzy gets her chutzpah.
This movie, like all Anderson movies, is full kookiness. In many ways it adds to the humor and tenderness of the film. It is always, however, threatening to overpower the whole endeavor. It wouldn't take much for the film to devolve into a version of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou where the kookiness destroys what could have been a smart commentary on family, fame, and obsession.
Ultimately, Anderson is able to restrain his tendencies and make a tender, funny, and smart movie. It is to his credit that he let the strong characters and endearing story dominate the story telling. It is the strong center that works the rest is just window dressing.
