Review: The Darjeeling Limited

Trying to write a review of a movie you saw a week ago is a considerable burden upon the memory banks. I need to see this film again. Until that time, here's what I've got so far:

The most interesting thing about the film for me was not the film itself, but rather the totally inconsistent reviews it received. People loved it, people hated it, people were apathetic about it. Go ahead, check out the reviews. This obviously says that Wes Anderson's latest work is going to be a lot of different things to a lot of different people. So be it. I would say everyone needs to see it to make up their own mind.

The film is about three brothers, played by Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody, and Owen Wilson, trying to rekindle their relationship after not speaking to each since their father's funeral over a year ago. The three have an obvious chemistry, with Wilson fitting well into the role of the overzealous, controlling older brother, Schwartzman playing the forlorn youngest brother, and Brody (who was my personal favorite and a welcome addition to Anderson's otherwise repetitive cast) as the middle sibling coming to grips with the life he has made for himself.

I intend to review the movie based on analyzing each of the three brothers, which I shall insert

HERE

when I have a bit more time to really contemplate each character a little more.

Some other points on the movie:

• Anderson is much more direct in addressing most of his themes in this film than in some of his previous works. He's still addressing a variety of the dysfunctional family issues that he often delves into, but I thought he did a decent job of addressing different themes through each of the brothers.
  
• In keeping with the rather blunt style of the film, there are several 'slap-in-the-face' metaphors, such as Brody losing the child in the river, Wilson's removal of his facial bandages, and the incredibly blatant dropping of the luggage as they run to catch their train at the end of the film. While some of these may have been a little too contrived, I thought they worked well within the film, and appreciated Anderson's attempt to 'keep it simple', if you will.
  
• The soundtrack, of course, if phenomenal. Great use of The Kinks 'Powerman', 'Strangers', and 'This Time Tomorrow'. His blatant placement of Schwartzman's old-school iPod was interesting, and the repetitive use of Peter Sarstedt's 'Where Do You Go To' during Schwartzman's attempted romantic encounters was both funny and a bit heart-wrenching due to his obvious desperation.
  
• I've read a couple of reviews where people complained that Anderson merely used India as a backdrop and didn't truly appreciate the country, blah, blah, blah... I think those people completely missed the boat here. So many Westerners view India as some sort of mythical, spiritual land. They visit various temples, interact with the 'locals', and think they're finding themselves. I thought Anderson's setting was a bit of commentary on these kind of folks who think they're going to 'find' themselves due to their geographic location, and I think the plot really reflected this.
  
• Not that I can really think of a place to fit him, but I love Bill Murray so much, his brief cameo was just a painful tease.
  

Based on one viewing, I'd say this was a better performance for Anderson than The Life Aquatic, and it certainly seems more mature, but I'm not sure if I'm comfortable saying it topped Rushmore or The Royal Tenebaums. Not yet anyways. Another viewing is certainly in order, as it always should be.