An oddball comedy inside a picturesque world

Rating: 7/10 (20 February 2015)

In what is surely the most weird movie nominated at this year's Oscars, The Grand Budapest Hotel is a movie that feels like a painting come to life, and in that process adding a sense of quirky adventure that will feature the most random of characters. A rousing appreciation has to be given to Ralph Fiennes for giving a comedic performance for the ages. Perhaps not the most Academy Award worthy performance in the eyes of some, but definitely a stand out from the more dramatic roles that earned high praise this year.
This film is yet another project from Wes Anderson that has his mark written all over it. I believe that Wes Anderson is about as close as you'll come to an American director that has a very European style to his films. His American cast counterparts in the movie bring that Hollywood vibe to an other wise independent project. Overall the production values of Grand Budapest Hotel are some of the best of the year. Beautiful cinematography, set design and a smooth directorial effort make for a beautiful movie to behold. On the writing and acting side of things, we get a throwback to the times of screwball comedies. I would say this is the modern screwball movie prototype. Once again, all of the highest praise goes to Fiennes for giving us a wonderful character that not only makes you laugh at the right times, but to a certain degree intrigues you. Throughout the extensive cast there are many good turns, yet our most inexperienced member Tony Revlori more than holds up against our leading man, making for a very believable friendship between the two in the movie.
It's not every day that I watch a movie like this. In fact, this is my first Anderson movie, and I gotta say that his style can go either way with me. While I hold off for a while on seeing more of his movies, I leave The Grand Budapest Hotel with a solid score and with the memory of being thoroughly entertained by it.
Rating: 7/10