Fletch's Film Review: The Darjeeling Limited

They say that familiarity breeds contempt.

I wouldn't go that far when describing Wes Anderson's fifth feature, The Darjeeling Limited, but I will say that familiarity, with not only Anderson's style but with his repertoire of actors, breeds...well, exactly the feeling that Anderson's films usually give me: nostalgic melancholy (or is that melancholic nostalgia?).

This is all a long way of saying two things. First, that, Anderson needs to branch out or change some things up lest he be deemed irrelevant in the near future, and second, that the audience's familiarity with Owen Wilson (and his suicide attempt), star or co-star in four of the five Anderson features, lends a certain sadness to the film, not to mention serving as a giant distraction.

Primarily, though, it's that Limited feels as though it's been done before, and by Anderson. Personally, I love the group of actors (and the choice of music Anderson uses) that includes Jason Schwartzman, both Wilson brothers, Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, et al, but when so many of them are together (and even sharing some of the same dynamics from the earlier films), Darjeeling is put in a handicap prior to the first frame being shown. Toss in a few slow-motion "meaningful" walking/running scenes set to early punk/Britpop, and you have the recipe for a film that looks a lot like something you've already seen. (However, at the risk of sounding like a hypocrite, I must add that this outing felt a bit minimalist, almost like Anderson-lite, and could have benefited from more of his signature obsessive attention-to-detail. There are a few instances here, like the father's luggage that is fought over by the three brothers, but that's about it.)

Despite the way this must sound, I did enjoy The Darjeeling Limited and would like to see it again. However lacking it may be in originality and story (there isn't much of one), it makes up for it in a number of ways, from the writing to the setting to the likability and charm of its three stars (Brody is a welcome addition, though isn't given much to work with). Additionally, there are some surprises - Wilson's real life events notwithstanding, there is a heavier emphasis on emotion, manifested mostly in an extended sequence involving an out-of-nowhere tragedy and a flashback showing the brothers prior to their estrangement.

In the end, though, your familiarity with Anderson's work with probably most reflect your take on Darjeeling. Namely, the more you've seen (and presumably liked), the more disappointed you'll be this time. Conversely, if you're a relative newcomer, you just might notice more than a grizzled veteran would, as we are no doubt somewhat immune to his filmmaking wizardry. And if you never liked his work before? Well, you probably won't like this, either.

Fletch's Film Rating:

"You seem a decent fellow. I hate to kill you."