The movie form of that lovely old lady who always has the best childhood stories

Rating: 8/10 (12 November 2018)

This is one of those nice little movies that people watch to feel immediately happy. In a typical "Ã la Wes Anderson" manner, the dreamy atmosphere and "childlike" storytelling exude an almost campfire tale feeling. The style is on point, as expected, with great use of color and composition. In this aspect, there's nothing much to point out, given the well known creativity of Anderson and his unique style. May not be everyone's cup of tea, but the man certainly deserves the credit. The plot is not one of the strongest aspects of the movie. While being relatable to a good amount of people (as those 'odd one out' stories usually are), it feels somehow predictable, which, in turn, makes it a bit disengaging sometimes. Let us look, for example, at the scene on the church roof. Shortly, it fails to truly portray the sense of danger, because we already know Sam is probably going to be adopted by Captain Sharp, who, indeed, shows up to save the day. Nonetheless, the scenes in the beach camp are sublime and the narration by the cartographer is a subtle quirky way to deal with the oh so dreaded problem of exposition. The cast, of course, is stellar, but the performances are not mind-blowing, except, maybe for the two leads and Frances McDormand.
Overall, it is a heart-warming movie that doesn't disappoint, if you know what to expect. Definitely worth a watch.
''I love you, but you don't know what you're talking about"