Delirious fun

Rating: 9/10 (15 November 2014)

This is my second Wes Anderson film, and yet another triumph for him. Ralph Fiennes in a rare comedic turn is a hotel concierge accused of murder. He tries to clear his name with the help of the new lobby boy. It's Wes Anderson so obviously it's not that simple. Mixing violence, sex, swearing, comedy, visual dazzle, drama, developed characters, a murder mystery and loads of weird and wonderful set pieces into a whole, The Grand Budapest Hotel should have been terrible. But it works very well. The visuals are incredible: With the inventive colour palette and fascinating angles TGBH creates a world of its own. Although emphasis on such a visually amazing world inevitably makes it feel empty at times and there are a couple of dips, this is a very good piece of indie cinema and it should be nominated for best picture at the Oscars this year. As both writer and director, Wes Anderson does a good job; his direction is visually stunning, humorous, gleefully stylized and at times suspenseful while his script mixes all those elements with surprising ease.
The film, which was advertised with the best trailer of the year, is very well acted. Ralph Fiennes is delightful in his unusual comic performance and all the others are good as well even if many are blink and you'll miss it cameos. There's a delightful sense of nuttiness and quirk to TGBH and it's something you just don't really see elsewhere. It creates a compelling in film universe with mise-en-scene and visuals alone, and then populates it with lively characters and a rich screenplay. It's both funny, exciting and moving, and it's an nice break from the mainstream clichés which you'll often see in other comedies. This has motivated me to try some more Wes Anderson stuff. It's a really entertaining film if slightly empty and it's one of the craziest in the best possible way films you'll see this year. Expect loads of awards attention and some Oscar nods at the end of the year. It certainly deserves them.
9/10