A Dollop of Whimsy and Fun

Rating: 8/10 (7 April 2014)

My expectations were high after hearing the heaps of praise lavished on Wes Anderson's latest absurd comedy, The Grand Hotel Budapest. Critics adored this small gem of a film. While I was neither overwhelmed or underwhelmed by this well-made film, I greatly admired it, especially in its grandiose style and artistry on every technical level, but I never truly connected with all of the characters or their situations emotionally. Let's just say I was whelmed.
Like his other films (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom), there remains the director's idiosyncratic calling cards: Characters never walk or stroll, they gallop or scurry haphazardly about. Plots are hatched and become more convoluted than needed. Violence erupts unexpectedly. Title cards organize the action. Vibrant colors and quick hints of irony are in full view.
Yes, there is always that certain whimsy and boldness to Anderson's cast of characters (and his recurring repertoire of actors) and his meticulous attention to detail in its setting. However, this time, his film carries with it a more serious undertone which tends to repeatedly undercut the farcical elements of the tale. There is much wild abandon and dollops of insightful and witty dialog, but this time around, The Grand Hotel Budapest never pushes itself beyond all-out farce mode. The overall effect seems a tad labored.
The film is told in flashbacks, a story within a story within a story, like an elaborate Russian Matryoshka nesting doll. The film begins with a student is reading a book in a cemetery that leads to its author (Tom Wilkinson) reminiscing about the glory and heydays of the impeccable Grand Hotel Budapest, which leads to a young writer (Jude Law) meeting a former Lobby Boy named Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham in the later sequence and Tony Revolori in the earlier ones) who reminiscing about its clientèle and his mentor, the hotel's chief concierge known as Gustave H. (a winning Ralph FIennes), a fastidious and proper dandy who beds the elderly ladies who stay there. Tilda Swinton (unrecognizable in superb hair and make-up) plays one of his conquests, Madame D., who bequeaths an expensive painting to her lover, causing a chain of events that becomes the main storyline in this tale of murder and mayhem. It's all cleverly constructed, perhaps too lovingly layered by Anderson, but it is precisely the film's structure that becomes a plot device which slows the film's comic momentum whenever it leaves the silly hi-jinks of M. Gustave H. and Company.
But, dear moviegoers, The Grand Hotel Budapest has so many virtues to warrant your viewing. Starting with Anderson's solid direction and wonderful vision, the film boasts excellence on every technical and artistic level: great acting and cameos by many fine actors, memorable costumes by Milena Canonero surrounded by opulent production design by Adam Stockhausen, and Alexandre Desplat's lyrical East European inspired score. Kudos also go to the stunning photography by Robert D. Yeoman and expert editing by Barney Pilling. This film is sure to garner many awards this upcoming movie season.
The Grand Hotel Budapest is a well-intentioned and well-crafted film by a talented director and his creative team. It is a diverting trifle, deliciously entertaining, delightfully nutty, and yet bittersweet, like a confectionist treat from Mendl's. Too bad it's not all that filling. GRADE: B
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