Recognizable Wes Anderson - nevertheless catchy

Rating: 8/10 (8 July 2014)

Anderson likes to play both with characters and actors, and the result is a peculiar yet distinctive movie without "normal" persons. However, by no means, they are comedies, but rather dramas with comic elements; the same applies to The Grand Budapest Hotel where you can't have big laughs, but there are various opportunities for giggling and snorts. After all, background events and fates of characters are mainly dramatic. But joyful colors, symmetry admiration, the English language in the German surroundings, and lots of poker-faced characters provide the movie a surreal visual.
The cast is splendid as well, with lots of winners/nominees of important awards spending less than 5 minutes on screen, and introducing a fresh young face such as Tony Revolori as Young Zero Moustafa. The star of the movie is definitely Ralph Fiennes as Monsieur Gustave H (both elaborated character and performance), but the most peculiar roles were performed by Harvey Keitel as Ludwig, Edward Norton as Inspector Henckels and Tilda Swinton as Madame D (the latter was barely recognizable).
A must-see for Anderson's fans, and for all others without petrified approaches on cinema and depiction of "serious" events.