Had a grand old time

Rating: 9/10 (22 April 2014)

I haven't really seen much of his other works (except Fantastic Mister Fox and The Royal Tenenbaums that I can't remember) so I can't judge this film compared to his previous ones. I can however judge that I had a grand old time watching Grand Budapest Hotel at the theatre. Stylistically, it was a triumph. It seemed almost every frame was filmed at right angles (90 degrees) - either facing the camera, left profile, right profile, back or from the top - with a few exceptions. I personally don't like when actors talk directly to the camera as so often happens here, but I didn't mind it this time. It even created a weird sense of intimacy. There was also a noticeable amount of rectangles and squares in the meticulously constructed frames with very little camera movement in those frames. It was like a succession of tableaux and, for lack of better expression, geometrically inspired and fascinating. The use of the bright colors, how they matched, was also stupendous, making for gorgeous scenes.
So, it is a joy to look at from an artistic and technical point of view, but how about the story and the characters? It takes place in a fictional eastern-European country, probably inspired by Germany, and is mostly a very long flashback. The story revolves around Mr. Gustave, the eccentric but very competent concierge of a luxurious hotel, read general manager, and Zero, a lobby boy of foreign origin. Without going into details, a favoured customer dies, Gustave inherits something important that causes him tons of trouble. Contrary to what one might think, most of the film doesn't take place in the Grand Budapest Hotel. I usually don't like flashbacks, but I enjoyed very much how the outrageous, sometimes ridiculous story was told, even with the narration. However, the plot was mostly a backdrop to introduce a plethora of fun, colorful characters played by very famous actors clearly relishing their roles. Some were played deadly serious, others a little over the top, but what a great cast and very enjoyable acting. Of particular note were Ralph Fiennes playing the distinguished and multi-faceted Gustav, Jeff Goldblum playing an honest, very articulate lawyer, and Wilhem Dafoe as a criminal goon, but your favorites might vary. For me, the newcomer playing the lobby boy seemed a bit out of his depth acting-wise, but he was not too distracting and even good sometimes.
The movie has a nostalgic feel to it and was quite funny despite being bittersweet. It has a strong energy and was never boring despite lots of mostly talking scenes. I found it particularly amusing whenever Gustave lost control of his distinguished manners and language. Most of the humor came from the clever writing, a few visual gags, and some ridiculous situations. Some might be put off by the obviously fake nature of certain decors and things (scale models), but I think it's probably a trademark of the director and I found those charming. Grand Budapest Hotel was a delight to experience and I would definitely visit it again.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10 (remarquable)