Rarefied elegance

Rating: 8/10 (14 January 2013)

In Moonrise Kingdom, two kids on a remote New England island, from disparate backgrounds, decide to make a break for it, running away from their parents and Boy Scout troop, respectively. Wes Anderson's quirky, stylish romantic comedy-drama is pleasant, with all the usual off-beat trappings. It is both tender and amusing and infinitely relatable for anyone who remembers being a preteen and wishing to escape.
In 1965, Jared Gilman plays Sam, a Scout member. He's disliked by the other boys, probably because of his over-sized glasses and overactive intellect. His scoutmaster is played by the redoubtable Edward Norton. One morning, when Sam does not show up for the camp's breakfast, Scoutmaster Ward discovers that the boy has left in the middle of the night. He calls in Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis), who canvasses the island and informs the Bishops (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand), just in case they see the boy. And soon thereafter, wouldn't you know it, but their rebellious daughter Suzy (Kara Hayward), is also missing. And so a manhunt is afoot.
The most delightful aspect of this movie is that it, like Stand by Me before it, feels as if it's viewed directly through the perspective of young kids. Some adults are nice, some are not. Other kids can be mean. You can count on yourself and few others. Both Suzy and Sam come from unorthodox homes with some measure of regiment, and through the power of being pen pals, decide on a complex plan of action.
But this isn't just a movie about two kids on the lam. It's about people discovering themselves, allowing themselves to be reborn as better scoutmasters, better parents, better cops. It's about young love's slow blossoming. It is not about physical intimacy. It's a genuine, honest, and deeply enchanting, colored in luxuriant blues and yellows and earth tones, peppered with the staccato speech of a scoutmaster and the angst of a police officer, and drenched in some terrific character acting. Hayward and Gilman are better than you would expect from neophytes; much, much better. Their pain, their loss, their love, their gain, their everything - we feel it all right there with them.
It helps that Anderson has assembled a top-notch cast, even if none of them really get a lot of screen time. Willis, McDormand, and an almost- unrecognizable Harvey Keitel are all standouts. The story moves lightning quick, pausing only to show us tender moments in stark contrast to the mad dash to find the fleeing duo. It's a given that we're to root for the kids, but the adults are by no means presented as evil-doers who wish to punish their offspring. This is a movie that teaches us by allowing us to relive our own childhoods and see the choices laid out before us. And, like any kind-hearted movie, it shows us that love is a shining thing.
Although I enjoyed Anderson's whimsical atmosphere set against some fairly serious backgrounds, including children in danger and even blood, I liked this movie first and foremost because of the dead-on performances of Gilman and Hayward, two stars in the making. Their chemistry is palpable; they are simultaneously a mismatched couple and two meant to be together.