Beauty in the static scenery and dynamic caricatures

Rating: 8/10 (18 March 2014)

The Grand Budapest Hotel is art in motion, inspired by the Silent Era of film. Director Wes Anderson presents us an adventure where Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) tries to prove his innocence of a murder with the help of his employee, simply named Zero (Tony Revolori). While the story lacks focus at times, the movie remains entertaining through its quirky, witty humor and the growing relationship between Gustave and Zero. This is a visual spectacle to be seen on the big screen. Truly.
The Grand Budapest Hotel stars Ralph Fiennes, popularly known for portraying "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," playing a completely different character that I will name, Monsieur Gustave. A devoted concierge of the hotel, Gustave is shallow, selfish, and takes advantage of vulnerable older women for his pleasure. The other major character is Zero, a refugee without a family, looking for a place to fit in. He is played by a newcomer to cinema, Tony Revolori. After a murder of a previous "lover," Gustave is falsely framed for her death. This thrust him and his apprentice lobby boy, Zero into an adventure trying to prove his innocence. To start with, in terms of story it felt a bit weak, losing focus at times to show events that never end up affecting the overall arc or characters. However, the backbone that keeps this movie interesting through all the shenanigans is the growth the two main characters go through together. Blended with the quirky banter and dark humor, the relationship between the two is very well written and a joy to watch.
There is no way one can watch a Wes Anderson directed movie and not talk about his visual style. His previous films are distinctively unique, and this movie is no different. I personally loved the visuals of The Grand Budapest Hotel. So much so that I feel each frame of the movie could have been hung up on a wall as art, and each of them would tell their own story. Everything in the scenes you see are placed there with a purpose, even down to the way glasses are placed on a table. Anderson does something beautiful where he brings life into static shots of a room or scenery, through the movement and caricatures of the actors. The movie in general gives homage to the Silent Era films, likes of Georges Méliès. This is clearly apparent from the aspect ratio, to the exaggerated acting, and to the bright colors imitating the hand-colored film of that era.
I have to admit I really enjoyed the movie, more than I thought I would. There is no denying that Anderson's movies are very divisive, people either really like them or don't. I can say without a doubt that The Grand Budapest Hotel will not turn you into a Wes Anderson fan if you are not already. Still, the ones who are a fan will find plenty to love about this film, and for those this a must see.