Style and cleverness but little substance

Rating: 4/10 (31 December 2013)

This movie was a waste of talented actors, who apparently were forced to deliver their lines like zombies in order to carry out some stylistic purpose in the mind of director Wes Anderson. The movie is so stylized that it is hard to discern any human feeling. Even the two youngsters whose romance is at the heart of the story are almost robotic in expressing themselves to each other.
To me it's the kind of movie whose chief pleasure is for those who like to think they are clever enough to "get" what the director is trying to say.
Just about the only actor who seemed to think and feel more or less like a real human being was Bruce Willis. As for Bill Murray and Frances Macdormand, their conversation in the bedroom, carried on while both like flat on their back staring at the ceiling, reminded me of two, well, zombies. Edward Norton had some funny bits, though his character was such a caricature of a scoutmaster that at best all I could manage was a few chuckles.
Didn't like this movie.