Cluster Cuss of Wild Animals

Rating: 6/10 (29 November 2009)

Greetings again from the darkness. Sometimes being creative and clever just isn't enough. Writer/director Wes Anderson has a track record of extremely creative projects. Some work very well (Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore) while others fall just short of the mark (Life Aquatic, Darjeeling Limited). When Mr. Anderson hooks up with writer Noah Baumbach (Squid and the Whale) to take on a Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) story, a movie lover can't help but get very excited!
The look of the film is very unusual and "fantastic" in its own right. The fur or coats of the animals is pretty amazing and even the expressive faces are new to the big screen. What really fell short for me was the voice acting of some very impressive folks. George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray all fall a bit flat and just play it too cool ... dare I say it ... they were all a bit boring! Willem Dafoe as the rat was really the only one who brought any life to his role.
So while I absolutely love the look of the film and the characters, I was quite disappointed in the pace and passion of the story and the manner in which it's acted. It is probably too slow for both kids and adults, so I am not sure who the audience will be ... other than film technicians who will appreciate the look.