Introspective, Hand-Crafted and Beautiful, But Also Over-Stuffed and Short

Rating: 7/10 (1 October 2012)

Wes Anderson does his thing again with a quirky, rich, melancholy character piece. The particulars may be different, but really he's been making the same movie (in many cases, even using the same actors) for years and this one's no different: it's artfully arranged, leisurely paced and quietly withdrawn. It rewards those with the notion to read in between the lines, embraces the beauty of a natural setting, and cracks awkwardly funny stone-faced jokes at the most unexpected moments. The mood is decidedly childish, both in subject and in perspective, but for the most part that works to put the audience in the right mindset, rather than dumbing things down. It does occasionally overstretch itself, though, particularly as events begin to climax and believability abruptly becomes less of a priority. If you've enjoyed Anderson's earlier pictures there's plenty to like here, although it doesn't even begin to rival Rushmore or The Royal Tenenbaums and I was surprised by the lack of a matching soundtrack. Non-fans should continue to keep their distance.