A big little movie

Rating: 9/10 (11 June 2012)

Not that we need another review - just go see it. This is one of the few movies that I could watch again.
First, the trivia: This is Kara Hayward's first movie. She was 12 when cast. So was Natalie Portman, in "Léon: The Professional". Hayward could well have a great career in film.
Next up: "PG-13, for smoking". Sheesh.
Everybody knows the basic story - but what about the film? The camera work is amazing. It opens up with a tour through Suzy's parents' home, going from room to room, floor to floor. We first see Suzy, looking straight out at the camera (us?) through her ever-present binoculars. Later, we're in the "Kakhi Scouts" camp, where we meet Scout Master Ward. As he walks to the breakfast table, the camera follows him from the side, not from ahead. There's an empty chair at the table, then we're off and running.
I thought Sam's character looked a lot younger than Suzy's. Could that be on purpose? Suzy's makeup, blue eyeliner, gives her an older look. Behind those glasses, Sam looks younger.
There's a Narrator (Bob Balaban), a bit like a Greek Chorus, who opens the story, and fills us in on some of the details, and finally interacts with the searchers to tell them where they might look for the fugitives.
Some of the scenes are marvelous (maybe a Wes Anderson trademark?). In "St Jack's Church", just before a major hurricane, they're performing Britten's "Noye's Fludde". The set inside the church is brilliant.
(The classical music selections (Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Simple Symphony - both by Britten) - are the Leonard Bernstein recordings.)
Harvey Keitel (who's doing a lot of work these years) plays "Commander Pierce", the commander-in-chief of the Kakhi Scouts, a grizzled old veteran who takes his job seriously.
Tilda Swinton (reprising her character as the White Witch in the Narnia movies) plays the character known only as "the social worker". Her job in to find Sam and put him in a juvenile facility, something everybody else doesn't really think is a good idea.
One example of the way Anderson unfolds the story: we find out that Sam's an orphan, and he's run away (again) from foster parents. The scene with Capt. Sharp talking to them (split-screen), shows them in a kitchen - leading you to think they're just plain old folks who've taken in a foster child. Later on, we see that it's really a pretty large facility, with at least a half-dozen other boys (looking mostly like James Dean in a 50s movie).
One thing to think about: The cast includes Bruce Willis, Bill Murray (of course), Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton .... and two complete unknowns, the real stars and central focus of the movie. First off, all that talent never overshadows the two stars - it's their movie, their story. Second, would it have been any better - or worse - if another group of unknowns had been cast in all those supporting roles? Did the producers figure nobody would see it if the A-list wasn't in it?
Two other groups in the cast stand out: the three other Bishop kids, and the scout troop - all first-rate actors.
Unfortunately, there's no screen credit for the dog. (A bit part, but essential to the story.)