Is Wes's World becoming Clichéd?

Rating: 5/10 (7 June 2012)

People shunned my review of Richard Ayoade's 'Submarine' because they all thought it was sublime, while I said it was second-rate. The most significant criticism I levelled at it was that it was a blatant rip-off of Wes Anderson's 'Rushmore', made even more blatant by the fact that Ayoade denies the resemblance. The truth is that 'Submarine' rips off Wes's latest more than the other, and 'Moonrise' is mediocre by his standards.
It wouldn't be helpful to describe this as 'quirky' because that word has become a synonym for the Anderson brand. It may instead be helpful to say that it is no less quirky than any other title from his repertoire.
A khaki scout/orphan called Sam (Jared Gilman) runs away from his group, or 'flies the coup'. At about the same time a depressive girl, Suzy (Kara Hayward), Sam's darling from the previous summer, also leaves her family. Their disappearance in their small island town sparks a frantic but incompetent search while the two dreamers reunite to rekindle their romance.
The kids' acting is superb, no doubt about it. They're eight going on 18. Sam utters all the jokes, but they are deeply unfunny, partly because they are intrinsically unfunny and partly (I hate to say) because he has a distracting lisp which means his jokes register too late.
The likes of Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Harvey Keitel – first-timers in an Anderson film – blend in well enough, though I can't tell if they're in this purely to collect their 'I starred in a Wes Anderson film' t-shirt. They are not part of Wes's world. Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman – both Anderson regulars – feature, but in restricted roles. These two are the lifeblood of most of Wes's films. Without them Wes's films are not the same. (Hand on heart, would you accept a Tarantino film without Sam Jackson?)
It's always good to presage an insult with a compliment. Here's mine: Anderson is one of my favourite directors. I place his 'Rushmore' and 'Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou' in my top 100. Sadly, though, the man described as 'the next Scorsese' by the maestro himself has been on a downward trajectory ever since 'Zissou'. I disliked 'The Darjeeling Limited' largely because of Adrian Brody's appearance, and I was upset at how much I loathed 'Fantastic Mr. Fox'.
We have the same old themes of family breakdown, mid-life crises and pubescent love. The story takes place in the '60s and there's a pervading French motif. Things like these are included, I suspect, to add zest and originality. My only thought was: Is Wes's world, his quirkiness, becoming clichéd?
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