Quirky and touching

Rating: 9/10 (26 August 2012)

This film impresses you within the first sequence, as the camera, fixed to one spot, spins around the various rooms of Suzy's house, with a single piece of music playing multiple times in the background, each time with different instruments. It is this kind of uniqueness that Wes Anderson brings throughout the entire film--in fact, this is definitely one of the most unique and quirky films I've ever seen.
It's screenplay was very well-written, and I'd be surprised if it wasn't Oscar nominated come the awards season. The dialogue is frank and to the point, but that somehow adds to the charm of the film, and definitely provides for some comical moments. Most of the story is essentially seen through the eyes of the twelve year-olds, Suzy and Sam, as they both attempt to escape their depressing live and flee into the wild together. They don't necessarily know each other, but they love each other, if that's possible. In fact, they get a little swept away, but I think that's the entire point of the movie: they have nothing that's important in their lives, nothing at all that they care about, except their first crush, so, to them, that's all in the world that matters. Both actors do a great job at portraying kids on the run--they were as realistic as one could be in a situation like that, and really entertaining.
All the actors were actually fantastic--for me, the standout was Bruce Willis, who took on an unusual role for him, but did a great job with it. Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, and Tilda Swinton also all did a good job.
This film is definitely not ordinary--it stands out amongst recent ones that I've seen. It's quirky but not too odd, it takes you on a journey but never gets lost. It's realistic in it's character portrayal and development, yet still manages to surprise you with genuine, unique characters that for the most part haven't been seen before, at least not in this context, and definitely not all working together as they somehow managed to do in this film.