Review: The Darjeeling Limited

As a Wes Anderson fan -- and a slightly obsessed one at that -- I approached his latest effort with higher expectations than I would most other movies. Watching The Darjeeling Limited for the first time on Monday night, it occurred to me that his films almost inadvertently challenge the viewer -- at least one familiar with his work -- to critique every little detail, character trait, shooting angle and music choice.

Unfortunately, that can often end up being a bad thing.

Let me start off by saying that I enjoyed the movie and will certainly watch it again, as Anderson's movies always "feel" different the second time around. In terms of what is produced in Hollywood these days, it is definitely on the higher end of the quality spectrum.

Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou -- Anderson’s three “major” releases* -- have been as close to cinematic perfection as I’ve seen. Everything about them makes me want to quit my job, grab a movie camera and a couple of friends and try my hand at becoming a director.

Wes Anderson inspires me, and that is why it pains me to say that Darjeeling is more than slightly disappointing.

The basic premise of the movie is a good one: Francis Whitman (Owen Wilson) and his two brothers, Jack (Jason Schwartzman) and Peter (Adrien Brody), haven’t seen each other since their father’s funeral a year ago. After a nearly-tragic accident in which Francis was “technically dead for 15 minutes,” he encourages his brothers to join him on a spiritual journey through India to reconnect with each other.

The characters are typical Wes Anderson: sarcastic, quirky and very obsessive-compulsive (Francis says “can we all agree to that?” probably 40 times throughout the film). The humor is dry, the cinematography is often breathtaking and the situations the characters find themselves in are outrageous enough to be interesting.

What The Darjeeling Limited lacks, however, is real substance.

In a short 91 minutes -- 5 of which were spent in slow motion, but I’ll get to that later -- the characters themselves never develop enough to warrant falling in love with them. There is no Herman Blume, no Richie Tenenbaum and no Ned Plimpton / Zissou. The three brothers, each unique in their own right, aren’t pathetic enough to feel sorry for nor charismatic enough to embrace.

That’s not to say they aren't likable, because they most definitely are.

Adrien Brody is very convincing as the more mature middle brother, even though he is clearly unable to move on after his father’s death. Owen Wilson’s Francis, even though he has major issues, is passionate about the journey and wants nothing more than to see his two younger siblings enjoying / finding themselves. Jason Schwartzman, though he comes across as a distracted womanizer, is arguably the sanest of the three and tries his best to ensure that the trip doesn’t become an even bigger disaster.

While the characters and their journey would seemingly be enough to carry the film, Anderson’s quirkiness ultimately detracts from the overall experience. This is hard for me to say, but in Darjeeling, I honestly think he tried too hard.

All of the things that have become synonymous with Wes Anderson’s style have ultimately led to this moment in his career. Movie-goers have already been impressed by his attention to detail, his knack for seamlessly tying music to scenes and his development of great casts.

Unfortunately, rather than taking his strengths and producing another gem, Anderson tries to out-do himself and ends up falling slightly short of expectations.

Previous efforts have included slow-motion shots to signify the culmination / turning-point of the story (see the last dance in Rushmore, the family walking out of Royal’s funeral in Tenenbaums), while in Darjeeling, 4 or 5 scenes are unnecessarily slowed down and take away from the parts that really could’ve been aided by one of Anderson’s most successful tools.

Unique camera angles and diorama-like sets have also been prevalent throughout Anderson’s career,** but in this case, they are over-done and tend not to flow as well as they have in the past. A 360-degree pan of an Indian village makes the viewer feel more nauseous than amazed, though that may be a product of watching on the big screen.

There are also a few scenes in which little makes sense. Towards the end of the movie, the camera pans along The Darjeeling Limited (the train itself), revealing all of the secondary characters that have either been mentioned or met earlier on. It’s great to see, but ends up being irrelevant, as it does nothing to further the story or explain why things have gone the way they have.

In typical Wes Anderson fashion, the overall experience of the movie blends a touch of fantasy with the sometimes-depressing sense of reality. The Darjeeling Limited is no exception; I just wish it focused more on the story itself and provided some closure for what was an otherwise intriguing journey.

Rating: 6.5/10

* I’m not including Bottle Rocket because it was produced before I think Anderson really established his own style as a director.

** Including the AT&T commercials that are airing right now.