The Darjeeling Limited (with Hotel Chevalier)

The Darjeeling Limited
Director: Wes Anderson
Writer: Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman
Starring: Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman

Hotel Chevalier
Director: West Anderson
Writer: Wes Anderson
Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Natalie Portman


I knew from the get go that this would not be Wes Anderson's best film. I feel that each of his projects have gotten progressively worse since the beginning (the exception being Rushmore is better than Bottle Rocket). I do not mean to say that any of his movies are bad. I've enjoyed all of them. He has a very distinct style that cannot be mistaken, and that, unfortunately, is his downfall. The Darjeeling Limited feels like it could be The Royal Tenenbaums or The Life Aquatic because the storytelling and the camera work is so similar.

The plot revolves around three brothers--Francis, Jack and Peter--who travel to India on a spiritual journey, proposed by Francis, after not having spoken to each other in over a year. Immediately you see the stark differences between the three that make them all individuals, and the remarkable similarities that make them family. The trip does not go as planned and they are forced to improvise.

I really liked the way all the characters were written. Wes Anderson has always had a profound understanding of his characters. He always knows their pasts, their futures, their motives and all their thoughts. I thought it interesting to have one of the main characters, Francis (played by Owen Wilson) to be wearing head bandages the entire movie. It was a bold move to have obscure the main character like that, especially with the actor being the most recognizable of the three.

There is some very typical Anderson styles that made me a little bored of the movie. Lots of specific, nice framing, which is of course good to look at, but makes it feel very staged. The soundtrack was also standard Anderson: mellow, acoustic, some very distinct riffs. He overused slow motion, I believe. Too many scenes were in slow motion, and for what seemed like no reason. I am all for style, but you should not overuse a technique. The characters, while intricate, were also very true to other Anderson movies. They have a complicated past that they don't like to talk about and rarely say what they're thinking. Rather than give answers they say things like, "I don't know," or "ask me again the next time I see you." You're supposed to believe that everyone is this great philosopher or poet.

Aside from those small qualms, I enjoyed this film. The locations were amazing. Having never been India, it definitely put the desire in me. The set was extremely detailed. Watching the featurette on the DVD made me appreciate it all the more.

Hotel Chevalier is Part 1 of The Darjeeling Limited and is supposed to be shown before the feature. I was not too impressed with it. It seemed too fancy: a rich boy living in Paris, his ex-girlfriend comes to visit, uninvited. Alone I found it mildly interesting. Together with the film, I don't see how it added anything. It's mentioned briefly in the film, and there are visual hints to it throughout, but I did not feel that it added anything to the overall story.

I wish Anderson would make something new and fresh. Maybe he needs new actors (he always seems to have the same people). I'm not sure, but his style is getting boring. He needs to expand.

Wikipedia - The Darjeeling Limited Hotel Chevalier
IMDB - The Darjeeling Limited Hotel Chevalier
Official Site - The Darjeeling Limited Hotel Chevalier