Wes Anderson Off His Game

Rating: 6/10 (2 April 2014)

I don't know that I'd call "The Grand Budapest Hotel," Wes Anderson's latest bit of whimsy, exactly a misfire, but I certainly didn't like it as much as some of his other recent films.
Almost always there's a strong emotional core to Anderson's films that anchors the idiosyncratic absurdity that defines his style. But that emotional core is missing in this film, leaving us with a slew of Anderson creations, cartoonish characters that don't engage us because they're not given time to. His film is stuffed with famous names, some of them Anderson regulars, some of them new to his world, but virtually all of them are given short shrift. I was excited when, for example, Jason Schwartzman made his entrance, because he's been given the opportunity in previous Anderson movies to make such a comedic impression, but he gets about two minutes of unremarkable screen time before the story whisks on to the next disposable character. It's the first Wes Anderson film I can think of that caused me to actually be annoyed by his self conscious style, a sure sign that in other respects Anderson was off his game.
I should add, though, that Ralph Fiennes is sensational. His performance is the one thing about the film I can praise without reservation.
Grade: B