Another Wes Anderson Adult Fairy Tale

Rating: 8/10 (19 May 2014)

Once upon a time, in a place named after a rather tasty, flavored Polish vodka, there was a great hotel and an even greater concierge. Therein lies a cleverly conceived story within a story, which touches humorously, and occasionally darkly, upon almost every human emotion. Notable among these are love, lust, greed, fear, happy, sad, silly, and, of course, mad. We connect with these emotions mainly through the exploits of the main character, M. Gustave, the impeccably correct, near perfect concierge played by Ralph Fienes and his able, young protégé, Zero, played by Tony Revolori. Their acting is superb, aided by (usually) very well crafted screen writing,and story telling But there's more. The movie includes a veritable menagerie of wacky characters, many from the Anderson stable, and others, all of whom perform well. If you're an Anderson fan, the movie is a must see. If not, despite the fine acting and writing, and sets, the story could become a little tedious. But, should that be the case, you are urged to sit through the movie trailer, and its fascinating balalaika music, which will make all but the most sleepy person wake-up and feel good, before leaving the theater. Also, to celebrate your experience and if you like vodka, try to find Zubrowka (pronounced zha-broof-ka), and see what buffalo grass tastes like...I am convinced this movie was fun to make, and and should be fun to watch for all but the most literal minded and sober viewer.