The Pink Panther rides again!

Rating: 7/10 (12 March 2014)

Wes Anderson serves up what might be called a 'romp-com' with this between-the-wars tale of the misadventures of Monsieur Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), concierge at a splendid spa hotel which manages to be located simultaneously in the Alps and Eastern Europe. Falsely accused of the murder of one of the hotel regulars (Tilda Swinton, made to look like a cross between Edna Everage and Miss Havisham), Gustave and his apprentice escape from prison and go on the run, aided by a 'mafia' of continental concierges.
Gustave is more than somewhat reminiscent of Inspecteur Clouseau. Fiennes plays him with an appropriate klutziness that often pleasingly evokes the late great Peter Sellers. There are scenes which appear to pay homage to Stanley Kubrick (THE SHINING and EYES WIDE SHUT) and even Stanley Kramer (IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD). There's an Alpine chase which calls to mind several ski sequences from the Bond franchise. F. Murray Abraham, Adrien Brody and Willem Defoe give fruity supporting performances; Owen Wilson and Bill Murray are among the many stars who contribute walk-ons, presumably just for the kudos of being in a Wes Anderson movie.
This is a monumentally daft and old-fashioned movie, sometimes hammy, sometimes hysterical. There are a few misfires; the story-within-a- story-within-a-story is clunky (providing roles for Jude Law and Tom Wilkinson); the use of Miniatures is painfully obvious. But the cast are clearly having a fine time, and it's easy to be carried along with the merriment and mischief.