Charming Delightful

Rating: 9/10 (26 April 2014)

"The Grand Budapest Hotel" is the latest quirky masterpiece of young acclaimed writer-director Wes Anderson. Since his breakthrough writing and directing "Rushmore" in 1998, his every output had been highly anticipated, admired and discussed. "The Royal Tenenbaums" (2001), "the Fantastic Mr. Fox" (2010) and "Moonrise Kingdom" (2013) have all been nominated for Oscar honors. His films are all marked with wry humor and out-of-the-box imagery, making them delightful and memorable.
His latest film "The Grand Budapest Hotel" brings us to quaint and exotic Eastern Europe in the 1930s. The hotel was in its heyday as the hangout of the rich and famous, under the efficient management of its charming concierge, M. Gustave H. When one of his favorite guests, Madame D. was suddenly murdered, Gustave becomes implicated when the Madame bequeaths a precious painting to him, to the dismay of her family. What follows is a merry and witty romp as Gustave sought to prove his innocence with the help of his loyal protégé, the young lobby boy named Zero.
This fanciful story was told as a story written by an old author in the 1980s talking about his youth when spent one night interviewing the elderly Zero Moustafa, the owner of the hotel, way past its prime in the late 1960s. I thought this layered story-telling style of a tale within a tale within a tale is totally delightful and inspired.
Old European charm and gentility is stamped all over this film. The production design should be commended for those beautiful sets. The hotel and the mansion of Madame Z. especially were both so deliciously grand and ornate. The period costumes were amazing in their detail and sense of humor. The actions sequences were done like silent movies from the 1920s -- totally fun.
The main actor is Ralph Fiennes as M. Gustave. This multi-faceted actor can really do no wrong. Now, you can even add comedy to his list of talents. His comedic timing was flawless. The rest of the cast was a merry mix of Oscar-caliber actors, winners and nominees alike. The elder Zero was played by F. Murray Abraham, who had not been seen in a mainstream movie since he won the Oscar Best Actor in "Amadeus" (1984). We also see Adrian Brody, Tilda Swinton, Soarsie Ronan, Harvey Keitel, Willem Dafoe, Bill Murray, Jude Law, Tom Wilkinson, Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Owen Wilson. This all-star cast were all on point in their portrayals in their small but marked roles.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film. It is delightful. It is charming. It is the most fun I have had watching a Wes Anderson film since "The Fantastic Mr. Fox."