A different approach

Rating: 9/10 (1 January 2013)

It seems there's a divide between those who really enjoyed it and those who really did not. Very few in-betweens.
I believe Anderson does things differently for a reason. He demonstrated that you don't need to know a character's entire history to understand them or their circumstances. I read from a reviewer that they disliked the monotone style acting. Again, it's an unconventional approach to acting, but gives it a likable feel. Everybody has a melancholy attitude and some sort of sad story. Their acting style shows, in my opinion, that they're not happy nor completely sad, but simply in a gray area in life where they're not sure what they should be.
There seems to be a standard of what good acting or good movies are supposed to be. The rigidity that some people have really blind them from what creativity the director is trying to convey. People tend to place a standard and can't open their mind to new or different concepts.
The world set by Anderson is spelled out well by the narrator. The scenarios maintain a sense of realism, but there are moments (often quite funny) of unrealistic happenings. Taken from a rigid perspective, this could leave a person soured. However, if you view it from a perspective of perhaps a grandfather embellishing a story, then you can see why the abnormal tends to happen from time to time and you can really get what's going on.
I guess what I'm trying to say, is that sometimes we need to let go of rules and expectations, and let the story be told. A seasoned director such as Anderson does things for a reason, and if you're not getting it, you probably are one of those rigid people I mentioned in my blathering above.