Wes Anderson Presents: Another Acquired Taste

Rating: 8/10 (20 October 2014)

You honestly have to view the breadth of Anderson's work to understand "The Grand Budapest Hotel". It feels very much like a relatively over-the-top climax of every bit of the man's artistic desires. As if every last thing he wanted fell into place, alongside the pertinent inspiration and a willing audience. An acquired audience.
Many will watch this film and, sooner or later, wonder why they're watching it. These people are not the target audience. Others, in turn, will watch the film and understand within the first ten minutes exactly why they're watching it, and will observe with keen interest Anderson's grand vision of the Grand Budapest and the many overtly and/or subtly intriguing characters surrounding it.
For my money, "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou" remains Anderson's finest moment, but I cannot take away from the merits of "The Grand Budapest Hotel". Ralph Fiennes is, in quality and quantity, the featured actor of the film, and does an outstanding job as the excessively eccentric M. Gustave. His constant companion is a young lobby boy, Zero, played with a quiet, reserved charm by Tony Revolori. The cast is rounded out by many big names, each with parts of varying significance and, despite the overall positive results, varying intrigue. I personally regret the brief time we get to spend with Bill Murray, Tom Wilkinson, Jude Law and Harvey Keitel. While most of the cast fits into their roles nicely, the occasional head-scratcher remains. Murray's role is perhaps the most obvious.
So, the acting is excellent. Working with Anderson's vision, everything merges together smoothly. The cinematography, a long-standing hallmark of Anderson's films, is breathtaking, truly the heart and soul of the film. The plot is flimsy, but that is ultimately the center of the acquired taste; if you can overlook a flimsy plot to appreciate the other two-thirds of film foundation (acting, atmosphere), then you'll have no problem enjoying the Budapest.
It doesn't surprise me that this movie has received so much praise. It also doesn't surprise me that it's received so much indifference, displeasure and/or disgust. As usual, Wes Anderson remains far enough outside the widest reaching circles of film making to inherently create a "love/hate" offer to viewers with each successive film. While not all of his work has been loved by myself, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" certainly is.