The Darjeeling Limited
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Movie Reviews of The Darjeeling Limited
Movie Review: Let's go have a drink and smoke a cigarette
Summary: 5 Stars
Wes Anderson is at his best when he explores a small group of people -- sometimes family, sometimes not -- and explores what makes them tick.
And after the cluttered "The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou," Anderson returns to those roots with "The Darjeeling Limited." Technically it's an Indian road trip movie, and it's full of his quirky charm... but at heart it's just about three unhapppy brothers with a lot of baggage. Both literally and psychologically.
The forlorn Peter (Adrien Brody) and his luggage barely make it to an Indian train in time to join his brothers, woman-chasing writer Jack (Jason Schwartzman) and bandaged control freak Francis (Owen Wilson). They haven't spoken for a year, and now they're planning to awkwardly bond as they travel to their estranged mother's convent.
But after disasters involving a snake, painkillers and pepper spray, the three brothers find themselves (and their monogrammed suitcases) thrown off the train. As they trek back to civilization, the three men set out on a quest to explore the spiritual, deal with life, death, feathers, man-eating tigers, funerals and their own painful memories... and possibly find their mom.
Nobody in their right mind would expect Wes Anderson to spin up an ordinary good-ol'-boys road trip movie. At least, not the way most directors would. Instead, Anderson crafts this as the baby brother to "The Royal Tenenbaums," exploring a fractured, mildly dysfunctional family with an absent parent.
And the cinematic flavour of "Darjeeling Limited" is much the same as in "Royal Tenenbaums" -- bittersweetly funny and arch, with a tinge of poetic melancholy underlying the plot. It would be an endearing movie in any setting, but somehow putting it in the mellow glow of India's dusty roads, bright fields and cluttered shrines makes it even better. The bright, visual richness gives it a sense of whimsy.
For the record, Roman Coppola and Schwartzman helped Anderson out with the script, but there isn't much change. As always, lots of wry, amusingly contemplative dialogue ("I wonder if the three of us would've been friends in real life. Not as brothers, but as people"), though there is some hilarious comedic scenes of sibling infighting. It even gets slapsticky.
Fortunately, Anderson never puts artificial twists into the story, for any extra drama, comedy or thrills; the closest thing would be a brief detour into a child's funeral. The story simply flows by, because it's all about the brothers -- and focusing on anything but their self-imposed journey would just be extra baggage.
And the three men playing Jack, Francis and Peter are nothing short of brilliant. Brody is vaguely lost and forlorn, while Schwartzman is a quirky rake who is still haunted by his last girlfriend (played by Natalie Portman in the short intro, "Hotel Chevalier"). But there's something almost painfully wounded about Wilson's reckless control freak, which has nothing to do with his bandages.
"The Darjeeling Limited" is a visually astounding, contemplative little comedy, all about three men who have to deal with the past before they can move on. Put it on the shelf next to "Royal Tenenbaums."
Movie Review: Hop Aboard! Did I just type that?
Summary: 5 Stars
The last Wes Anderson movie, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, was the one that began to elicit a few cries of lost magic from former die hard fans turned burnt out turncoats. It was certainly the broadest reaching of his works, an episodic plot featuring turns including pirate attacks and what ultimately proved to be an untrue father-son reconciliation.
The Darjeeling Limited has had its share of haven't-even-seen-it-yet detractors who also claim that Anderson has lost whatever it is he used to have. Others have suggested that his work continues to show its seams to the audience, that it is a cinematic mad-lib of artistic cinematography combined with highly strategic music.
I agree with pretty much everything about that line of thought towards the Anderson movies. He has shown himself by this point to be essentially a one-trick pony. With the exception of his debut Bottle Rocket, his movies have dealt exclusively with the longings and emptiness of the lives of over-privileged white people, typically selfish yet endearing in a quirky way, with a soundtrack that was clearly planned before dialogue was even written, and apparently an appearance by Bill Murray and Angelica Houston.
But the thing is, it works. Perhaps I'm something of an apologist, because despite knowing all of the above, I still continually find myself sucked into the world he paints, I connect with his characters and I even find myself searching iTunes for the soundtrack. And so it is safe to say Darjeeling Limited had me as soon as I was introduced to all three of its main characters, the Whitman brothers, played by Owen Wilson, Adrian Brody, and Jason Schwartzman, three rich American brothers riding a train across India.
The Darjeeling Limited, despite it's road movie backdrop, is likely the smallest, most claustrophobic of Anderson's movies to date. It maintains such a close portrait of its three main protagonists, who are so rarely separated from one another that even when the boys are kicked off the train for fighting, or the worlds apart the characters seem from each other at times, the movie never really feels like it leaves the close confines of their shared cabin.
So while watching an Anderson film is an experience of familiarity with his previous works, to me it never comes off as redundant. It feels very much like looking at a series of paintings by the same artist during the same period of his life, looking deeply for a level of truth in slivers of the same image, with only a few slight variations, that when pondered more seem to make an immense difference.
Movie Review: Simultaneously Wry and Whimsical.
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Darjeeling Limited" is a captivating entry in the already quirky canon of train movies, where the environment of the train itself is vital to the story. Motivated to bond with his brothers after a near-fatal accident, Francis Whitman (Owen Wilson) arranges a trip to India for himself and brothers Peter (Adrien Brody) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman). The idea is make a "spiritual journey" of a cross-country train trip aboard The Darjeeling Limited, following a careful, laminated itinerary. But the brothers don't trust one another, for good reason, and Francis has kept their destination a secret.
The Darjeeling Limited is a functional train created for this movie, which was filmed aboard the moving train. There couldn't be a better advertisement for Indian tourism. The train is absolutely charming, with handpainted artwork adorning the corridors, colorful, tasseled chandeliers in the dining car, and a profusion of lovely cobalt blue everywhere. I have no idea if this remotely resembles a real Indian train. It seems like an exotic, whimsical version of a European train from the pre-World War II era. But the production design by Mark Friedberg is a true gem, not to be missed.
"The Darjeeling Limited" has a low-key, slightly bemused, wryly comic, but good-natured tone, to which I attribute its success. It's familiar, but I have never seen a film able to sustain this tone for the duration. It doesn't slip even as the characters' situation vacillates from comic to tragic, or when they get off the train. Even the humor doesn't interrupt the flow, which is aided by a great soundtrack. I found it all pleasantly hypnotic. The visuals are beautiful. The odd characters seem utterly natural in this environment. This is the best role for Adrien Brody since "The Pianist". Wes Anderson's films are hit-or-miss for me, but this one is a hit.
The DVD (20th Century Fox 2008): You have the option of viewing the film with a prelude entitled "Hotel Chevalier" (12 min). It concerns an encounter between Jack and his girlfriend in a Paris hotel room. It's superfluous and would create a hiccough in the film's pacing. I strongly recommend viewing the film without it. You can always watch it afterward. There is also a making-of featurette called "The Darjeeling Limited Walking Tour" (21 min). Production designer Mark Friedberg shows us around the train, and there is behind-the-scenes footage of filming. And there is a theatrical trailer (2 min). Subtitles for the film are available in English, Spanish, French. Dubbing available in Spanish.
Movie Review: Along for the Ride on the "Darjeeling Limited"
Summary: 5 Stars
I first saw this movie without "Hotel Chevalier" (the first 13 minute part with Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman in the hotel room) and I have to say I like it much better without it! "Hotel Chevalier" just doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the movie (except for the matching luggage of course). "The Darjeeling Limited" on it's own though I really adore. There's no complex storyline or real plot twists, so this is not a movie for everyone. I can understand how some people will dislike it and feel that it's unorganized or pointless. However, the real point of watching the movie is the interaction between the three brothers (Schwartzman, Owen Wilson, and Adrien Brody) and their efforts to shed their baggage, literally. They are brothers but don't really seem to know each other, they are on a train that is richly colored and exotic but ends up getting lost, lurking in the background is the never totally clarified death of their dad, and a mysterious mother who has gone MIA in her maternal role. It's not a complete story, more of an outline that the viewers are trusted to fill in themselves. Wilson's character has an itinerary for their spiritual awakening and mysterious bandages around his head. Schwartzman is the quiet brother who writes short stories with characters no one believes are fictional. Brody (who gives a casually great performance) is wearing their dad's prescription sunglasses, carrying his car keys and believes that he was the father's 'favorite'. I've seen other Wes Anderson movies, but I have never liked one as much as the "Darjeeling Limited". I knew as soon as I saw the opening sequence with Bill Murray running for the train and being overtaken by Brody (with music by the Kinks playing) that I was going to love watching this film. It's not only beautiful to watch because of the vivid colors, settings and music, but also because of the lack of storyline to keep track of. This movie deals with loss and how different people cope in a darkly deadpan comedic way, it's not trying to tackle any world problems. It's best to just sit back and enjoy the ride on the "Darjeeling Limited".Movie Review: Quietly rewarding
Summary: 5 Stars
Wes Andersen is probably my favorite director right now but I understand that his films are not for everyone. His unique and highly personal body of work seems to have a polarizing effect on audiences. They typical reactions are either "brilliant" or "slow-moving." Most of his films revolve around a close look at family drama among dysfunctional adults, with a dry, quiet humor that takes some getting used to. It's leagues away from your typical American "Meet The Fockers"-style slapstick comedy, in other words it attempts to provoke thought rather than belly laughs.
The main criticism I would levy upon Wes Andersen's career trajectory is his tendency to essentially explore the same themes again and again in the same way - characters who are dysfunctional misfits coming together and making some sense of life. The Royal Tennenbaums is the most successful of these films to date, with Darjeeling a close second.
What makes Darjeeling work is the pairing of an imposed, forced spiritual journey with a real one that occurs when the characters are tested by true hardships. Owen Wilson's character, the de facto ringleader of the three estranged brothers, has called them together in an attempt to rekindle their brotherly relationship via a journey through India. He manages to convince the other brothers to participate in hokey activities designed to enlighten them spiritually, but that attempt fails horribly when it is derailed by reality. However it is that reality - facing someone's death, possible maternal distinterest and a sense of futility that applies to the whole journey - that forces the brothers to really examine their lives and shed the baggage that they have both literally and figuratively been dragging around behind them for the duration of the film. Far from being obtuse, the themes are obvious and clear - and the film succeeds for that reason.
So a qualified but high recommendation - if your tastes veer towards subtle humor and somewhat self-conscious (or self-parodying?) artistry, this film could be a meaningful experience for you as it was for me.