the grand budapest hotel
photo credit // fox searchlight
Even grander than the titular The Grand Budapest Hotel (Fox Searchlight) once was at its peak, Wes Anderson's latest comedic epic is as delicious as an exotic pastry and far more satisfying. Anderson has been building to something as majestic and surreal as this since The Royal Tenenbaums, keeping us going with tasty teasers such as The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Moonrise Kingdom and the fabulous Fantastic Mr. Fox. Once again employing a massive and talented cast, including regulars such as Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray, as well as Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Jeff Goldblum, Edward Norton and Willem Dafoe, to glorious effect, Anderson has reached a new plateau.
Beginning in 1985, and then moving back in time to 1968 and then 1932, The Grand Budapest Hotel starts out as a tale about storytelling. The author (Tom Wilkinson) of the book that shares its title with the movie takes us back to the sixties when as a young writer (Jude Law) with "scribes fever," he booked a room in the hotel. While there, fate intervenes and he meets the hotel's notorious owner, Mr. Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham), who proceeds to tell him how he came to acquire the once magnificent structure.
Starting out as a "lobby boy" in 1932, young refugee Zero (Tony Revolori) finds himself taken under the wing of the hotel's respected and fey concierge M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), whose duties and pleasure also include being a gigolo, among other things. When dowager countess Madame D. (Swinton), one of the hotel's wealthiest and most frequent guests, is found dead in her palatial estate, her death is pinned on Gustave. The main accusers are Madame D.'s family, including ne'er do well and homophobic son Dmitiri (Brody) and ruthless killer Jopling (Dafoe), both of whose inheritance hangs in the balance.
Plunging from the heights of his position in concierge society to the depths of incarceration, Gustave maintains his integrity, eventually falling in with a group of inmates plotting a prison break. Once free, Gustave sets about the difficult task of clearing his name with the aid of Zero and Zero's baker girlfriend Agatha (Saoirse Ronan).
As with some of Anderson's previously mentioned films, the attention to detail here is spectacular and visually dazzling. The Grand Budapest Hotel captures bygone eras, including a pre-war Eastern Europe and late 1960s design and fashions. Laugh-out-loud funny and exhilarating, you would be well-advised to book a room for a couple of hours stay at The Grand Budapest Hotel.
More movie reviews by Gregg Shapiro
Beginning in 1985, and then moving back in time to 1968 and then 1932, The Grand Budapest Hotel starts out as a tale about storytelling. The author (Tom Wilkinson) of the book that shares its title with the movie takes us back to the sixties when as a young writer (Jude Law) with "scribes fever," he booked a room in the hotel. While there, fate intervenes and he meets the hotel's notorious owner, Mr. Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham), who proceeds to tell him how he came to acquire the once magnificent structure.
Starting out as a "lobby boy" in 1932, young refugee Zero (Tony Revolori) finds himself taken under the wing of the hotel's respected and fey concierge M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), whose duties and pleasure also include being a gigolo, among other things. When dowager countess Madame D. (Swinton), one of the hotel's wealthiest and most frequent guests, is found dead in her palatial estate, her death is pinned on Gustave. The main accusers are Madame D.'s family, including ne'er do well and homophobic son Dmitiri (Brody) and ruthless killer Jopling (Dafoe), both of whose inheritance hangs in the balance.
Plunging from the heights of his position in concierge society to the depths of incarceration, Gustave maintains his integrity, eventually falling in with a group of inmates plotting a prison break. Once free, Gustave sets about the difficult task of clearing his name with the aid of Zero and Zero's baker girlfriend Agatha (Saoirse Ronan).
As with some of Anderson's previously mentioned films, the attention to detail here is spectacular and visually dazzling. The Grand Budapest Hotel captures bygone eras, including a pre-war Eastern Europe and late 1960s design and fashions. Laugh-out-loud funny and exhilarating, you would be well-advised to book a room for a couple of hours stay at The Grand Budapest Hotel.
More movie reviews by Gregg Shapiro
