Minority opinion about this movie--it's good, but not great

Rating: 7/10 (2 June 2014)

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) was written and directed by Wes Anderson. It stars the excellent Ralph Fiennes as M. Gustave, concierge of a famed European luxury hotel. The film is set in the period between the two world wars. Newcomer Tony Revolori plays Zero, a lobby boy who
eventually becomes M. Gustave's sidekick.
M. Gustave demands perfection from the staff at the hotel, provides satisfaction to every guest, and knows the correct behavior for any situation. Whether he is at his desk in the hotel, or on a train, or in a prison, M. Gustave maintains his positive, always appropriate behavior. That's a good concept, and it more-or-less holds the film together. More-or-less.
Many famous actors appear in small or cameo roles. Amng these are F. Murray Abraham, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Jude Law, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, and Owen Wilson. It's always fun to recognize a familiar face, and identify the actor before she or he moves on.
When I was in the theater, I laughed a fair amount. However, the movie went in several different directions at once. It was as if Anderson thought, "OK--that's all the laughs I'll get from this situation, time to move on." Nothing much is left when you get done with those few funny lines. In fact, if you want to save time, watch the trailer. Most of the film's great lines are in it.
I respect the opinion of those who think this was one of the greatest movies ever. At the time of this review, GBH is carrying an astounding IMDb rating of 8.4, putting it in the top 150 movies of all time. However, I just didn't think it was that wonderful. It's a good way to pass a few hours, but I wouldn't dream of going back and seeing it again.
This is one of those films that really will work better on a large screen. However, if that's not an option, it will be OK on DVD.