Internationally famous oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) and his crew -- Team Zissou -- set sail on a expedition to hunt down the mysterious, elusive -- possibly nonexistent -- Jaguar Shark that killed Zissou's partner during the documentary filming of their latest adventure. They are joined on their voyage by a young airline co-pilot, who may or may not be Zissou's son (Owen Wilson), a beautiful journalist (Cate Blanchett) assigned to write a profile of Zissou, and his estranged wife and co-producer, Eleanor (Anjelica Huston). They face overwhelming complications including pirates, kidnapping, and bankruptcy. Oscar(R)-nominated writer-director (Best Original Screenplay, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, 2001) Wes Anderson has assembled an all-star cast that also includes Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Gambon, Noah Taylor, and Bud Cort in this wildly original adventure-comedy.
1 It was ok
This movie was ok. It was the same people that made "the royal tenenbaums" and i hated that movie. This one was a little bit better. It kinda had some good action in it but it wasn't that great. Bill Murray can do a lot better. I don't understand why he's in this movie with other people who are funny like the owens brothers. I thought this movie was going to be a lot better than it was. A lot of people say, you have to be smart to like these movies, but who wants to be smart to like a comedy. The whole point is to have fun. Realisticly, this movie was pretty unfunny.
2 Good movie but a little too long
My wife and I watched this movie last night, and while Bill was great; I loved the music and we both loved the visuals we both agreed that this movie is suffering from a lack of editing. It was about a half hour too long! Now neither of us are one to shy away from long movies (some of my favorites...Branagh's Hamlet, the extened editions of LOTR, Apo Now redux, etc) but it just seemed like it was dragging. Cut about 30 minutes from this movie and it would be Five stars.
3 Classic Wes Anderson - non-stop hilarious subtle vignettes
The story as told through dialog seems almost secondary when Wes Anderson is in full stride. The real story is being told in much finer detail via innumerable one second shots. It is here where the characters' personalities are crafted into sharp focus. The broader jokes such as stealing the use of his rival's facilities, then robbing the equipment as he leaves are almost vulgar in comparison to Anderson's defter touches. But it all works to make a good movie.
4 A Unique Aquatic Experience.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is very unique movie, but I didn't find it to be funny. Perhaps Wes Anderson had intended to make this film an adventure drama with a twist on family and relationship issues. It's a very strong followup film for the Oscar-nominated Bill Murray(Lost In Translation), especially he gets to carry this movie, and flexing his acting muscles opposite some of the finest actors in the industry including Willem Dafoe and Anjelica Huston. Even if this film doesn't generate much laughs, it still has plenty of touching moments, and the underwater scenes are total eyecandy. Actually in the bonus disc, I found out that some of the marine life are puppets.
Murray played Captain Steve Zissou, and he's an acclaimed aquatic documentary film maker. His best friend in the team was killed by the rare and gigantic Jaguar Shark during a mission. He intended to go out to sea to kill it and capture it on film and show the world. Meanwhile, a new member(Ned/Owen Wilson) joins the team for the adventure, and he confessed to Zissou that he's actually his son. Anjelica Huston played Zissou's wife, whose parents are extremely wealthy. They are not happy together, and Zissou actually has for thing for the five-month pregnant and single reporter(Jane) played Cate Blanchett, but she's interested in Ned. Dafoe is Zissou's sidekick(Klaus) , who speaks in a strange German accent, and feels underused. Jeff Goldblum(Alistaire) is Zissou's vival, but he's severely underused in this film.
The gun fight scene was kind of tacky, but the music composed by Mark Mothersbaugh really worked for this movie thoroughly. The mostly electronic composed score is perfect for floating and bouncy feel of this movie. I also enjoyed watching the landscapes captured along the water.
I actually found Owen Wilson's performance to be quite impressive and wonderful. His scenes with Murray are quite touching.
5 Dead in the Water - A Good Director Makes a Bad Movie
It will start the moment I post this review. An army of Wes Anderson fans will vote, and my thoughts on this film will overwhelmingly be deemed 'not helpful.'
Of course, these folks will have already rushed out and bought their copies of "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," so, in an odd way, their votes will be completely accurate. Reading my little rant will neither get them their money back nor convince them that, really, this just isn't a very good movie. As spiteful as their little mouse-click may be, reading this review really WON'T help them. But if you haven't yet parted with your hard-earned dollars to purchase your copy of director Wes Anderson's latest, please at least let me make my case before you vote or, more importantly, buy.
What you have to understand, here, is that I loved "Bottle Rocket." LOVED it! And "Rushmore?" Come on! WAAAY loved it!! I was somewhat less thrilled with "The Royal Tenenbaums," but what the heck? It had its moments and, as Meatloaf once taught us, 'two out of three ain't bad.'
Which brings us to this, Anderson's fourth feature. Somehow, with "The Life Aquatic," a bright, literate filmmaker has turned out a flick that's just as flat and void of life as the current Hollywood dreck his fans surely revile. Not only is this film no better than something as pointless as, say, "Blade - Trinity," it's also a bore to have to sit through. To endure "The Life Aquatic," we the audience have the misfortune of watching a bunch of people we can't care much about spending a long time doing...well...nothing especially interesting. Sure, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Owen Wilson and the rest bring their game. But even such a (truly) stellar ensemble can't rise above the inertia of a film that feels like it just never quite gets started.
The problem is not, as Andersonphiles would kid themselves, that the humor is sooo subtle that most people won't get it. Instead, Anderson breaks the one rule that matters most when it comes to being funny (that is: BE FUNNY). Unlike in his earlier films in which quirkiness was tossed in to augment and accent humor, in "The Life Aquatic," Anderson seems to think that quirkiness in and of itself is a perfectly suitable substitute for humor. So, those characters you can't care much about? Those folks who spend two hours hopping around from one tepid adventure to another? Well, they're not very funny, either. Oh, some of 'em are quirky, alright...just not funny.
To be sure, "The Life Aquatic," will have its following. Or, more accurately, its defenders among Wes Anderson's fan base. But like Stanley "Eyes Wide Shut" Kubrick, John "Reindeer Games" Frankenheimer and other notable directors before him, Wes Anderson is bound to shoot a blank now and then. So, ready that mouse, Andersonphiles! Call me unhelpful if you must, but "The Life Aquatic" is a case of a good director making a not-very-good movie.
6 The 2-Disc Special Edition is the way to go!
There's always a certain amount of trepidation when a filmmaker like Wes Anderson, known for making intimate and personal films, starts making movies on a more ambitious scale - bigger budgets and movie stars in an attempt to appeal to larger audience - that he will lose all of the qualities that made his movies so interesting in the first place. Easily his most accomplished film, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou merges his stylized dialogue and quirky characters with elaborate sets and action set pieces in an exotic locale.
Anderson's career has been building up to this film. With The Royal Tenenbaums, Anderson was able to juggle a large cast of name stars while still maintaining his artistic integrity. With Life Aquatic, he continues to use stars but has upped the ante in production values and scope. However, he has not lost the intimate feeling that all of his movies possess. No matter how ambitious or big the scale, his films have hand-crafted feel to them. One gets the feeling that Anderson cares about every detail an every aspect and it is this personal touch that makes his movies so unique.
On the first DVD there are nine deleted scenes that feature some nice little bits of business between characters. There is nothing too significant for the most part and these were rightly cut out.
There is a theatrical trailer.
Also included is an audio commentary by Wes Anderson and co-screenwriter Noah Baumbach recorded at the restaurant in New York City where they worked on the screenplay. This is an engaging and thoughtful track as the two men touch upon the film's themes in an unpretentious way.
"Starz on the Set" is a 14-minute featurette. It is fairly standard press kit material as Anderson and the cast talk about the movie's plot and their characters with lots of clips from the film.
The second disc features a collection of stills taken during filming.
"The Look Aquatic" is a brief look at how the specific world that Anderson wanted to depict in his film was achieved, including the large set of the cross-section of the Zissou's ship, the Belafonte.
In "Creating a Scene," the cast talk about Anderson's style of filmmaking and how they contribute to it.
There is an excellent interview with long-time Anderson composer, Mark Mothersbaugh. Mothersbaugh talks about his transition from Devo to scoring movies and TV shows (his first gig was Pee-Wee's Playhouse) and gives insight into his creative process.
"Mondo Monda" is an amusing parody of an Italian talk show hosted by Antonio Monda who interviews Anderson and Baumbach in Italian while the two men struggle to understand what he's saying.
"Seu Jorge Performs David Bowie" features footage of the Brazilian recording artist performing ten Bowie songs in their entirety in Portuguese on the set of the film. Some were used in the film.
"Aquatic Life" is a fascinating look at how the undersea creatures were made via stop-motion animation by Henry Selick and his team and then inserted into the movie via computer.
The "Esteban" featurette follows Seymour Cassel around in Italy as he buys some cigars, talks about John Cassavetes and his movies and we see him being directed by Anderson on the underwater set of the movie.
The centerpiece of the supplemental material is "This is an Adventure," 51 minute documentary made by Albert Maysles, Antonio Ferrera and Matthew Prinzing during filming in 2003. We get to see various scenes being shot in this absorbing doc.
"Intern Video Journal" is a behind-the-scenes featurette shot and edited by "Intern #1" Matthew Gray Gubler. He also documents what the cast and crew do between takes - sleeping, playing foosball and basically messing around to alleviate the boredom.
There is also a gallery of paintings of the characters, logos and poster that were featured in the movie.
"Ned" is a brief interview with Owen Wilson as he talks about his character.
Also included is a look at the costumes designed for the movie.
Finally, there is a brief look at Cate Blanchett's character with the actress talking about how she incorporated her real-life pregnancy in the role.
7 Quirky and original, yet flat at times
The whole Zissou Society schtick was hilarious and a few one-liners as well as the obligatory Zissou Society uniforms that you can't help but enjoy. That being said, the movie itself was somewhat flat and devoid of humour at times...almost bordering on sleep-inducing in my opinion. Owen Wilson (as well as Bill Murray) was not at his best, although he did muster some genuinely funny moments. The all-star cast wasn't given much to work with in terms of screenplay originality. I expected more from Wes Anderson. Oh well...it's worth a rental at least, although I must say the Criterion edition comes chock-full of incredible extras to make up for the lack of substance in the movie itself.
8 what's the purpose of this movie?
no matter how you said that this movie is sooooo cool or sooooo funny, sorry, i just couldn't get it right as you were. so far, the only movie i could stand what bill murray played as a major role in it was the 'lost in translation'. this one, i was just lucky that i only paid $1.50+california sales tax for the dvd rental. but i have to admit that i still lost the money anyway, because i gave up watching after 20 minutes. this is such a pretentious phony movie, just like all bill murray played. he just got a free ticket to do, to play what he liked to do and used to do. there's nothing to do with the others, they were just walk-ons, background supportive settings. after twenty minutes, i simply fell into a deep coma and slept like a piece of deadwood. the life aquatic with steve zissou or...zizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz? who cares??!!
9 The boat that wouldn't float
Sadly, this film didn't fulfill great expectations. I remember Anderson hinting at bigger things to come with the proposed school aquarium in "Rushmore," but this is a movie better left a pipedream. It is kind of like Jacques Cousteau meets Moby Dick, as the intrepid Steve Zissou tries to finance one more mission in search of the mysterious jaguar shark which purportedly ate his long time colleague on a previous misadventure. Anderson seems largely inspired by sea monkeys and other kitsch aquatic life of the 70's, creating a candy-colored waterworld that at times is quite dazzling. Murray's deadpan humor carries the film and Anderson has assembled a cinematic dream team to compliment his favorite actor. But, this movie lacks the heart of his previous films, done more for theatrical sake than for any other reason. But, there are alot of fun moments in this movie, not least of all Seu Jorge's interpretations of David Bowie, as he plays the ship's token guitar player.
10 Unlimited Budget & Impressive Casting Yields Mixed Results
I am a great Bill Murray fan and have seen most of his more than 25 films. For movie lovers this was a much anticipated movie starring Bill Murray and directed Wes Anderson. Was it going to be Bill's final triumph? In many ways this is a wonderful big budget movie with all its subtle complexity. This movie does have a lot of original thinking, writing, and creative directing. The credits at the movie end list hundreds of actors and support people combined. It has a "team" of well know and experienced actors led by Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Owen Wilson, with excellent supporting actors such as Jeff Goldblum and a dozen others - many with just a few lines who previously starred in their own films.
The movie is made on location in the scenic Mediterranean and uses a large boat that has been completely re-furbished; in addition to the boat it has an elaborate on land set that is a specially made length wise cross-section completely duplicating the boat so the camera can follow the actors theatre style as they walk from room to room, up and down from one level to the next, from the bow to the stern, from the bottom of the boat to the deck - never stopping the camera; it has planes, helicopters, gun fights, scenes filmed in a beautiful opera house; it has good lines and very creative directing. It is a big screen movie that was made on location in the Mediterranean with great actors and with no obvious budget limits. It should be a sure fire box office success, but is it?
There is a lot of appeal to the movie and the concept of the movie based on a marine expert and his crew. But for most viewers all the production complexity, star power, and the writing will be wasted. Possibly the writing and the direction is too creative, i.e.: they try to do too much with an end result of being less. For the average viewer it is probably just 4 stars and often confusing, tends to move at random from scene to scene, some scenes seem out of place or a bit rough such as the invasion of the Hotel Citroen and the pirate attack, and many parts are overly elaborate and appear to be very expensive to produce but add little in the way of a final cohesive story. The next to last scene in the submarine is obviously very intense for Bill Murray but that moment is not well transmitted to the audience - and we do learn about its importance and Bill's emotions until the writers discuss the scene in the DVD extras. I found the whole viewing experience too complex, while being slightly flat and sometimes just simply bizarre rather than funny. During the movie I kept repeating to myself: "this is so bizarre". Also, sometimes the lines cannot be clearly heard or the intent of the actors is not clear.
This is probably one of the best DVD's ever made, in terms of extras, and the time and effort gone into making the DVD extras. For example, there is a second version of the movie with a voice over by the two writers with comments. Also there is a wonderful extra with many interviews of at least a dozen actors plus the director. Overall it did not measure up to some of Murray's past films, even though most of them are a lot less complex and done on smaller budgets - so just 4 stars. The DVD is an excellent rental but I did not buy.
11 wes
The most obvious observation of Wes Anderson films that can be made is that the audience will either love them or hate them, and that would be true. The most overused and strangely misleading observation is that they're snob-infested and consumed in their own deadpan wit. And that's where "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" comes in with the story of a pothead oceanographer and his goofy crew, including a brazilian musician who's there simply to play David Bowie songs acoustic in portugese (rock) and his could-be son. Some people must not give their brains much credit if they've deemed this movie over their heads, and others who take themselves too seriously will feel that this movie is too silly. It's a comedy people, not brain surgery. This needs no decoding, it just needs minds that haven't already decided what Wes Anderson is or isn't. This is by far the most fun and outlandish of his films, and even though it's not as subtle as The Royal Tenenbaums, which IS outlandish in it's own quiet half-parody of J. D. Salinger novels, this is his most accessible movie and it's not bad. I will say that the visuals are really a treat, as they're not as much impressive in any realistic sort of fashion, but rather in it's ability to root out the essence of what the image of the movie is putting forth and creating the whole world in which the film revolves within it, making every frame a snapshot into this snow-globe storybook dreamworld of the ocean. The humor is timeless and hilarious; absolute must-see scenes include Zissou's rock and roll 70s copshow-esque shootout (set to the delightfull tunes of non other than Iggy himself), the ruscue mission of the bond-company stooge, and of course, the hilarious openning documentary. As for the Criterion Collection release, this is no exception to their series. I highly doubt Criterion will ever release anything below impeccable quality; the features outnumber those found on the Criterion releases of "Rushmore" and "The Royal Tenenbaums" and frankly, if you buy all three they look really cool lined up, and if you're a Wes Anderson fanatic I think you'll be one happy camper. I can't recommend a better investment for anyone willing to try out an innovative new "dramaty" made by the guy who's made his own genre in only 4 movies.
12 Wes Anderson's Ripple Affects All...
At first glance, The Life Aquatica with Steve Zissou by Wes Anderson seems to be an awkward visual feast with no chemistry, or feel, as it is a film about making a documentary. In a sense the acting and filming seem quaint, as the characters communicate, but never engage in any meaningful exchange of words. This leaves the viewer with a feeling of detachment and discontent, as it produces an atmosphere of problematic motionlessness with vague ripples. Much of the film seems to go on forever while very little time has actually has passed. A sense of being adrift in an infinite void comes to mind, but also the same feeling a person has when being stuck on the ocean with no land in sight is thought of. This suggests that Anderson tries to instill a sense of oceanic separation in the audience, which he does with brilliant direction.
Most of the film takes place at sea; however, the film opens with a premier of Steve Zissou's (Bill Murray) recent documentary in which he lost his best friend to what he calls a Jaguar Shark. In the question and answer session after the film, someone asks Steve why he would kill the shark that might be an endangered species. To this Steve simply responds, "Revenge." Later Steve drifts around in melancholy while people call on him to meet more people. This scene has a strong sense of symbolic meaning, as the audience could empathize with Steve who appears much like a bottled message that drifts around on the ocean without contacting land. The scene also provides the notion that Steve tries to bottle up everything within him, as he does not express much emotion.
The party drifts from the theater to the Belafonte, the ship from which Steve and his crew run their marine operations, where Steve for the first time meets his 30-year old pilot son, Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson). The emotional rift between Steve and Ned is obvious, yet a peculiar connection appears between the two. The film continues intermittently to explore the reunion between the father and the long lost son, as Steve brings him under his wing by letting him join the Zissou organization. Throughout the film, the audience gets to witness how Steve maintains his emotional distance to Ned. Steve's persona seems to affect everything onboard the Belafonte, as the crew seems discontent with Steve's leadership while others are hurt by his choices. Eventually all of the problems bottled up problems begin to seep out little by little, as Steve discovers that he is loosing control of his venture to avenge the death of his friend.
Steve restrains his feelings while small portions seep out creating ripples in his personal and professional life while it later creates havoc onboard the Belafonte. These ripples affect his relationship with his wife Eleanor Zissou (Anjelica Huston), as their strained relationship seems to slowly dissolve. Jane Winslett-Richardson (Cate Blanchett), a pregnant British reporter, goes on the expedition for the Jaguar Shark. When Steve meets her he finds her attractive while also treating her with a level of distrust. His professional attitude seems to diminish, as he continues to treat people unusually. Even his faithful assistant Klaus Daimler (Willem Dafoe) gradually becomes hostile toward Ned. This hostility seems to source from Klaus' anxiety of his importance aboard the Belafonte, which is much due to Steve's emotional dilemma and the arrival of Ned.
Despite the difficulties, the audience gets to witness a voyage of melancholy and emotional retribution that pays off big dividends, as cognitive recognition of self-destruction finds a solution. This ends up being a solution where trust, open communication, and honest affection for one another turn the pages away from anxious motionlessness and ripples of resentment. Through the solution, Anderson presents the idea that the oceans waves can also be harmoniously soothing and comforting, as he maximizes on the analogy that the sea offers in the film. This offers the idea that personal emotional storm is analogous to the eye of a hurricane where nothing can enter or exit without damage. Nonetheless, all hurricanes eventually die off leaving the survivor in a chaotic mess where everything around has been tossed around. Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou does exactly what the hurricane does; as the serene waves of solution provides ultimate closure for the audience.
Initially, the film gives the impression to be a quirky cinematic journey that Anderson has offered through his pervious wittingly compelling Bottle Rocket (1996), or his clever Rushmore (1998). Despite the similarities with his previous films, Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou displays another level of Anderson's artistic side, as he elaborates on the origin of human detachment through marvelously cool stop-motion of sea creatures and a clever performance from a brilliant cast. The camera work displays additional elements that enhance the feeling of being on the ocean while framing each scene in a way that accentuates distance and emptiness. There is also a sequence in the film that maps out the boat that Anderson incorporated into the film, which brings to mind a scene from Tout Va Bien (1972) where Jean-Luc Godard maps out the meat factory. Lastly, the score is excellent; as the main score seems to be missing something while it provides a sound that makes one think of underwater adventure. Combined, all the filmmaking facets pour out a sympathetic tale of distance and belonging that leaves the audience in astonishing wonder.
13 COMEDY??? BUT NOTHING FUNNY
I sow this movie because in the back case said; BEST COMEDY OF THE YEAR that's is not truth..... is the WORSE COMEDY OF THE YEAR this movie can't get do smile my son i put one star because Amazon ask as minimun 1 star!!!!
This dvd need comes with $20 insert in the case!! and thank you note to watch it!!!
14 I'm one of those people.
I'm just one of those film critics who criticize everything. I'm the guy on the forums picking apart even the best films because of my lack of creative talent. I use words like, 'unsound', 'wretched', and 'inadmissible' to describe the talents of other people. This is usually just an act of defiance. Plus it draws attention to me at the yacht club gatherings. Yes, I am one of those people, the people you all hate. I am far from being a film maker, I am simply a film critic. I will never make a film. I will never even write a book. However, three seconds before I die, a light will flow over my eyes and I will see that I have wasted my life and the time of people like you. Honestly, this movie kicked ass, I know it, you know it.
15 Brilliant but frustrating.
Late in the film, a kid comes up to Bill Murray, who asks him how old he is. The kid says, "eleven-and-a-half," to which Murray says something like, "...that's the best age."
That is this film in a nutshell. It's as if it were made by a daydreaming, precocious eleven-and-a-half-year-old. Fanciful creatures. Cutaway diagrams of impossible vessels. Pirates. It's a mish-mash of ideas in a shaggy-dog story. I enjoyed it, to be sure, but I found its desultory, haphazard nature frustrating. I can't wait to see the DVD, though, because I'm guessing that it will get better with repeated viewing.
I loved Rushmore. I loved Bottle Rocket. I liked Royal Tenenbaums. And, despite my lukewarm response to Life Aquatic, it must be said that it's better by far then 99.99% of the crap that's issued by Hollywood at the moment.
16 Quirky Fun
Read all of my reviews at www.midnitcafe.blogspot.com
Wes Anderson pictures are always an event. His first three pictures (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, and the Royal Tenenbaums) have all been brilliant bits of quirky genius. I have waited not so patiently for his fourth picture, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, to make it to France. Though, I tried to read little in the way of reviews, I couldn't help but notice quite a bit of negativity being garnered its way. After viewing the film, I too, couldn't help but feel a little let down, but this has more to say about my expectations of a Wes Anderson picture, than the actual picture itself.
Bill Murray proves once again that he is a better actor post 50, than anyone could have imagined. He plays Steve Zissou, a Jacques Cousteau-esque oceanographer who has seen better days. He has spent the last decade scrounging harder and harder to find the funding for his voyages and the subsequent documentaries from them. It seems the critics have been harsher as his fans have become increasingly few. The film opens with Zissou showing his latest documentary to a bored audience. He is attempting to find funding for a second voyage, one that will allow him to exact revenge upon the jaguar shark that killed his friend. He finds the money through Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson) who may be Zissou's son, but no one is really quite sure.
Zissou and his might-be son, are accompanied by a rag tag crew and a reporter, Jane Winslet-Richardson (Cate Blanchett) who forms some kind of love triangle with Zissou and Plimpton. Aboard the rusty, ancient Belefante all hands set out to find the mythical shark. Though before they find the beast they encounter many adventures such as found in any road trip film.
Anderson fills his film once again with plenty of quirky, odd ball characters. This time he seems to have filled the action as a means to play homage to various movies and television shows from the 70's and 80's. There is an action sequence towards the middle that is straight out of a Charlie's Angels or A-Team episode. The much discussed animated fish seem to be copied from the Incredible Mr. Limpett. Many of the camera movements, including extensive use of close up zoom on a single character only to zoom out and zoom out again to find the character surrounded by others, seem to be out of some classic television directors guide book. Before I realized Anderson was mimicking that style I was annoyed with the whole thing. Once I caught on I found a few of these moments to be brilliant put-ons, but often I felt like I was watching the last 15 minutes of Adaptation. Where yes I get the joke, and yes I find it funny, but it got tiresome rather quickly.
One of the joys of The Royal Tenenbaums is that each character is fleshed out to some degree. It is a large ensemble picture, but even the smaller roles have moments in which to give them some dimension, to make them real. The Life Aquatic similarly has a large cast, but all but the major characters are never given a chance to become three dimensional. Why, for instance, does the navigator spend most of the film topless? If this is to present that she is a free spirit, why does she argue with Zissou over sailing over unprotected waters? Or why is she so upset with him for stealing the equipment? Her character is given no reasoning behind her behavior, and her actions only force the plot along without any purpose. She is not the only character like this. Either Anderson is again mimicking the plotless plot-lines of classic television, or he has done a poor job of filling in the details of his characters.
There are many things that work in the Life Aquatic. Bill Murray proves again he is more than just a funny, funny man. The characters that are filled out, are aptly acted. Though just what is the deal with Cate Blanchett's accent? She sounded like she was still hanging onto a bit of Katherine Hepburn. Anderson has again made a fun, funny, quirk of a movie. Yet, when compared to the rest of his output, I can't help but feel a little disappointed. Here's to his next film, and hoping his brilliance continues to shine for a little while longer.
More reviews at www.midnitcafe.blogspot.com
17 Go Wes Anderson
There are very few movie makers who I geniunely like as much as Wes Anderson. His movies are always a great combination of dark humor, cynicism, and heart touching warmth. Life Aquatic is no exception to this; you are laughing out loud at the comments that Murray (as Zissou) makes, or are touched by the burgeoning relationship between Wilson and Blanchett. What more is there to say? Great cast, great director, good jokes, good times, and a good good ending. Almost forgot to mention, Anderson is one of the rare people in this day and age who is not afraid to make his audience sad. Has anyone else noticed that just about every movie nowadays gets a happy ending? Wes Anderson, thank you for being unafraid of the audience, and making them (the audience) laugh and cry at the same time.
18 if you dont get it
i feel for anyone that did not enjoy this movie. you'd have to be a humorless, souless shell of a person to not recognize the genius. if you want to get a feel of someone just ask them if they liked this film. if they didn't then turn and run.
19 A excellent film
I'll keep it short and sweet:
Murray did a great job of being sad and resigned to the world. The soundtrack was wonderful. Lots of dark humor and intellegent humor. Very subtle. This is what films are about.
20 I'm a HUGE Wes Anderson fan and I didn't care for it........
I know, I know. Everyone SAYS they are a big Wes Anderson fan just to give their review some credibility, but I really am. I loved Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, and The Royal Tenenbaums. Of the three, Rushmore was by far my favorite- and it's the one I have an emotional connection with.
So needless to say, I looked forward to The Life Aquatic immensely- literally the first month after Tenenbaums was released, when there was a rumor that Wes's next project would be an "undersea adventure". So what's wrong with it? I don't know really, other than to say that it just comes off as very very flat. The performances are kind of tepid, and for the first time in a Wes Anderson movie, I didn't really care about the characters. I honestly believe that this is partly due to Owen Wilson's absence in writing the screenplay- he had left the project early on because he is focusing on acting. Well whatever the reason, I just didn't care for this movie, and I did NOT care to see it again in the theater. Will I buy the dvd? Probably.. like I said, I am a fan and I would like to find out what Wes was thinking when he made this. I don't know- maybe I will learn to love it after listening to the commentary.
21 Not Even for Free
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
If Hotel Rwanda was one of the better films that I have seen in the past couple of months, then this film would have to be at the other end of the spectrum; or possibly one of the worse that I have seen. To call this movie bad, would be an insult to all other films that do not quite generate the stench that this film inflicts on the audience; therefore, I have dubbed this film as putrid, which is more apropos of the film's content.
Coming off his Academy Award nominated role in Lost in Translation, Bill Murray stars as Steve Zissou, a parody characterization of Jacques Cousteau , the world famous oceanographer.
While filming an underwater documentary, Zissou, along with his merry men of aqua mariners; lose a loyal and trusted crewman when he is eaten by a panther shark in which they encounter. With revenge in his heart, film in his camera, and the financial backing of Ned Plimpton played by Owen Wilson (who may or may not be Zissou's son); Zissou returns to the sea in search of the ravenous beast. Also along for the ride are Academy Award winners Anjelica Huston as Eleanor Zissou (Steve's wife); and Cate Blanchett as Jane Winslett-Richardson, a reporter and once avid fan of Zissou.
I am just amazed that this much talent could produce such gobbledygook. Written and directed by Wes Anderson, this film is the epitome of stupidity. The editing is atrocious, and the film lacks continuity as the film's sequences jump hap-hazardously from scene to scene. The dialogue is unfunny; spoken straight-faced, to give the appearance of seriousness no matter how ridiculous the circumstance. The audience is forced to sit dumbfounded staring at the screen, trying to comprehend the malarkey being offered as entertainment. I say, "DON'T Do It!!!" Avoid this film at all cost.
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22 Wes' Third Best Movie!
Maybe even tied with Rushmore for No. 2. Absolutely hilarious gunplay by Bill Murray. It gets the nod over Tennenbaums because it has a more cohesive plot.
23 Wall paper kind of movie
(The only star is for the strong effort of the actors - excluding the singer!!)
I did not give a single laugh at this intelligent and SO BORING movie! Do not know why but Intelligent humour never makes me laugh!
Everything is artificial - yes I know its on purpose - but isn't funny. I never leave theatres in a middle of a movie... but this is my first one - and Im proud I do it! Anyway I see at least 1h30m but I could not stay anymore.
What a waste of talents. Bill Murray, Angelica Houston, Willem Dafoe, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum (is the kick on the dog any funny??!! even if it was on purppose?), Michael Gambon...
Bill Murray has done a great performance in the beauty - and subtle - Lost In Translation. Here I see him drowned in this WallPaper-magazine-70's-bubblegum-kind-of-movie.
This is a sort of film for people who like Spike Jonze - Adaptation or Being John Malkovich! I don't like it either - although I like his work as a video director.
WHY this new directors like Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarantino or Spike Jonze are doing a lot of movies if they were in 1975? Is this a new sort of cinema?
Camp movie? Perhaps... I'd rather prefer and strongly recommend camp movies such as Sideways, Amelie, Delicatessen, Fargo, Pulp Fiction, Eraserhead and specially Lost In Translation!
Poor Jacques Cousteau...
The worst movie I've seen in years...
(I am very happy that a lot of people have read my review. Thank you all!)
24 Is this a Cousteau tribute....absolutely!!
We travelled on wet autumn night to see this movie, not sure what to expect. We were drawn by the cast and its unfavourable reviews and as is so typical with unfavourable reviews, we loved it.
I am not going to review the acting or the directing or its production value, since they are but a sideshow to the incredible way Wes Anderson has given us a truly respectful satire of the life of Jacques Cousteau.
To present a movie such as this, and call it another Bill Murray comedy is really an insult. From its Red Knitted Hats, to cheesy uniforms and retro, clunky old equipment, it shows the "behind-the-scenes" life of a famous naturalist from the golden era of armchair exploration. As was so typical of Cousteau, there was more drama behind the scenes than in his documentaries, which eventually took a backseat to his real life. Anderson shows this by mimicing Cousteaus production styles in the "docu-features" shown in the movie, which are bad on purpose, to the stop motion sea creatures which are all fantastic and completely unbelievable. But the drama onboard the Belafonte no doubt was pretty typical when compared to the Calypso, Cousteau's real ship.
Zissou is completely dysfunctional, except for the support of his estranged wife and his band of sycophantical crew. What a terrific interpration of the real Cousteau. A man with a dream to show us the oceans, a true eccentric, right down to the illegitemate son and the tragic loss of some of the crew. And while it certainly is satirical, Cousteau's inability to be a loving father (yet having two complete families at the same time and one not knowing the other!!) is echoed when Bill Murray says to Owen Wilson "I don't like fathers, so I never wanted to be one."
An under-rated masterpiece of satire, that maintains the dignity of its subject. The most original and enjoyable movie I have seen in a long, long time.
25 Bill Murray For President!
Bill Murray has really impressed me with his more recent roles; not that his performance in "Ghostbusters" or "Groundhog Day" weren't good, it's just that he's so great in "Lost In Translation" and now "the Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" that he has become one of my favorite actors.
Now as for the director, Wes Anderson; he's obviously a very talented guy as well. First, "Rushmore", then "the Royal Tenenbaums", and now this. "The Life Aquatic" had me laughing hysterically at parts; Anderson has a knack for making things funny that normally wouldn't seem funny. The movie also contains numerous sea animals created with claymation that add a touch of humor to the film. Willem Defoe and Jeff Goldblum really play their parts well and add quality to an already good movie. Owen Wilson and Cate Blanchett aren't shabby actors either. All in all, everyone involved in this project did a fine job and the results are an underwater adventure/comedy/drama film worth adding to your DVD collection.
26 UNEVEN, BUT PACKED TO THE GILLS WITH GOOFS & GAFFES
Whether it's a character study in midlife detachment or a nudge-nudge-wink-wink take on cheesy 70s style Jacques Cousteau productions, The Life Aquatic never makes a pretense of being anything less than kooky.
Yet, for all its ostensible insincerity, it never comes across as an attempt to play us cheaply. We keep watching because it's hard to keep a straight face at the sight of Zissous Inc. The 'jokes' are sporadic and borderline moronic but thankfully punctuated frequently by Anderson's trademark brilliance in the script.
Rushmore's success hinged on the depth of its protagonist and how much we ended up rooting for him. That's the beauty of our good marine folk in Aquatic, spotlighted without a tangible spinal plot.
An ageing Bill Murray is Zissou, no one else in the whole industry can embody deadpan irony with such gumption. The rest of the zany crew includes several A-listers, each accorded a hint of a subplot: an allegedly long-lost illegitimate son (Owen Wilson); a pregnant journalist, whose baby will be "eleven and a half in twelve years", shuttling her cautious affections between father and son (Cate Blanchett); a funny German sidekick who craves to be on the "A Team" (William Dafoe in a most unusual role); an estranged yet oddly supportive vamp of a wife (Angelina Houston); a beleagured research rival (Jeff Goldblum). There's even a band of Filipino pirates.
Best of show however belongs to a swarm of beguilingly nonsensical candy-colored sea critters (very vivid CGI there) and the grand finale aboard a peculiar underwater stealth pod.
Mind you, it's all a jaunty departure from the mainstream so if you expecting a film with clearcut introduction-body-conclusion and overt jokes of the Something About Mary variety, you're in for disappointment. Hence the 4 stars.
But if you can handle a refreshing loaf from the lives of highly irregular folk, buttered with hints of amusing dialogue, then I recommend this oddity in a blink.
27 See Bill Murray before he is gone...
... but I hope he sticks around a lot more! If you half-liked "The Royal Tenenbaums" or even underwater nature programs from the 1970s or the new movie "Sideways" then you will absolutely love The Life Aquatic, quite possibly many of you will commend this motion picture comedy family drama as the best movie ever, others saying that you have not seen such a good movie in a very long time, and I would not hesitate to agree with any of that, especially if you fit into the above niche, chances then are that you are going to be running back for a second screening and wondering in bed at night when the DVD is going to come out, the 2005 race starts right here (okay maybe "Sideways" was way too good, but this also!), and maybe, who knows, this one just might kick buttt all the way into the next year, so make sure you try and get to see it now, rather than after all the hype, as it plays out very well in an audience type situation meaning that this is a GREAT CINEMA outing; even the opening scene suggesting that we should be watching the marine documentary clips like the start of a newsreel before the movie, here The Life Aquatic is all about rehashing the life and times of underwater ocean explorer Jacque Cousteau, who was a womaniser, thief, tax evader, you name it, this `diver' was the protˇgˇe of rip-off investigative reporting exploiting whatever he could, and did, creating documentaries so bent from the reality of the situation that National Geographic later decided to `storyboard' all their future episodes, a practice that still goes on to this day, if you liked "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind" then it is along that same path, a lot less adult than "The Royal Tenenbaums" and certainly eons more cute and cuddly, and extremely funny, the ending all round feel good, the credits done "Jackie Brown" style, Wes Anderson is like Ken Russell just hijacked the American new wave comedy scene, this is thoroughly an innovative type of retro-comedy `motion picture film', that can stand heads above the likes of any Ben Stiller `movie', it would be a shame to say that Bill Murray is why we watch it, the casting here is some of the best you have ever seen, right down to the student intern bit part fodder crew members, go see this and try not to read much about it before you do. The premise is this: This is the biography of Jackque Cousteau as you would like to see Hollywood do it! It is a scream! Well done Wes Anderson!
28 See Bill Murray before he is gone...
... but I hope he sticks around a lot more! If you half-liked "The Royal Tenenbaums" or even underwater nature programs from the 1970s or the new movie "Sideways" then you will absolutely love The Life Aquatic, quite possibly many of you will commend this motion picture comedy family drama as the best movie ever, others saying that you have not seen such a good movie in a very long time, and I would not hesitate to agree with any of that, especially if you fit into the above niche, chances then are that you are going to be running back for a second screening and wondering in bed at night when the DVD is going to come out, the 2005 race starts right here (okay maybe "Sideways" was way too good, but this also!), and maybe, who knows, this one just might kick buttt all the way into the next year, so make sure you try and get to see it now, rather than after all the hype, as it plays out very well in an audience type situation meaning that this is a GREAT CINEMA outing; even the opening scene suggesting that we should be watching the marine documentary clips like the start of a newsreel before the movie, here The Life Aquatic is all about rehashing the life and times of underwater ocean explorer Jacque Cousteau, who was a womaniser, thief, tax evader, you name it, this `diver' was the protˇgˇe of rip-off investigative reporting exploiting whatever he could, and did, creating documentaries so bent from the reality of the situation that National Geographic later decided to `storyboard' all their future episodes, a practice that still goes on to this day, if you liked "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind" then it is along that same path, a lot less adult than "The Royal Tenenbaums" and certainly eons more cute and cuddly, and extremely funny, the ending all round feel good, the credits done "Jackie Brown" style, Wes Anderson is like Ken Russell just hijacked the American new wave comedy scene, this is thoroughly an innovative type of retro-comedy `motion picture film', that can stand heads above the likes of any Ben Stiller `movie', it would be a shame to say that Bill Murray is why we watch it, the casting here is some of the best you have ever seen, right down to the student intern bit part fodder crew members, go see this and try not to read much about it before you do. The premise is this: This is the biography of Jackque Cousteau as you would like to see Hollywood do it! It is a scream! Well done Wes Anderson!
29 Redemption and Baptism.
To begin with, I must confess that when I 1st saw THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU, I had not yet seen Wes Anderson's most well known film, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, or his feature debut, BOTTLE ROCKET. I make this preface because many negative comments of LIFE AQUATIC I have read have been made by Anderson fans who have seen all of his works. I have not and other than RUSHMORE have nothing to compare LIFE AQUATIC to.
With that said, I found THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU to be a thoroughly enjoyable, entertaing, and emotional film. The movie revolves around Steve Zissou (played to perfection by Bill Murray), a modern-day nature documentary filmmaker and oceanographer not all that unlike the late Jacques Costeau. Zissou is planning what will probably be his final voyage. His company & crew have run out of money and his latest film was the latest in a series of cinematic flops. However, Zissou's life-long friend and co-worker, Esteban du Plantier, was killed by a mysterious shark below water. Zissou promises that his next film will bring closure to Esteban's death and he plans on killing the shark that ate his friend.
As plans for the adventure begin, Zissou meets Ned Plimpton, a young man who believes Zissou might be his biological father. The meeting stirs Zissou's emotions and he decides to take Ned under his wing and with him on his later adventure. The theft of an expresso machine, a kidnapping by pirates, and the hunt for a giant shark ensue.
Murray is perfectly cast as the title character. Anderson specifically wrote the role for Bill Murray and said that Zissou "could have been no one else". The quote is correct because no other actor could have captured the slight nuances of the character as well as Murray. Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, and Owen Wilson pull off some decent supporting performances, but other than Murray, Willem Dafoe and Jeff Goldblum are the actors to watch. Dafoe, who is best known for his creepy bad-guy roles, is hilarious as Klaus Daimler, the German camera-man aboard Zissou's crew. As for Goldblum, he's worth watching any time he's in a movie, but it's particular enjoyable to see him as a semi-bad-guy as Zissou's arch rival, Alistair Hennessey.
LIFE AQUATIC contains all kinds of cool visual images, from rainbow fish to box stage sets. However, one of the best things about the movie isn't the visual images but the soundtrack. The film's soundtrack is largely composed of David Bowie songs sung by a variety of people, but most notably Seu Jorge. Accompaning these new interpretations are a variety of memorable instrumental pieces (most notably "Ping Island/Lighting Strike Rescue Op") composed by Mark Mothersbaugh.
THE LIFE AQUATIC is a movie that is filled with surprises. There were several times that the movie took a turn I didn't expect it to. None of these turnings were all that far-fetched and the situations and reactions seemed real and kept me engaged in the characters on screen. Though the THE LIFE AQUATIC is a movie all dressed up, it also has a lot of substance. At it's core the film is a redemption story. It's all about a man and how is life is redeemed not solely through any actions of his own, but through the actions of others. One could even say that the film is an allegory of faith and a spiritual epiphany and unlike Ahab and Moby Dick, things don't turn out too bad in the end.
30 CRITERION COLLECTION 2 DISC EDITION!
To be quite honest, I have yet to see this film. However, Criterion, the "rolls royce of DVD's", which, for those in the know is certainly true, are releasing a 2-Disc edition of this. Even if the film is not all that great, which may or may not be true, is irrelavant now since Criterion has put together a great package. ROCK ON CRITERION!
31 maybe even better than the royal tenenbaums
The scene where they play "staraful" (by sigur ros) may be my favorite scene in a movie ever. I think wes anderson puts music into his films better than any other director.
I heard the sigur ros song a week or so before and i thought it was great and all but didn't really get it. Then once i saw that scene i was just like "now i get it". I cant put into words how amazing that scene was. Wes anderson shows that tragic and messed up things in life can be beutiful.
32 May have to watch it a few times...
I am an Anderson fan, but with all his movies I usually have to watch them a second time before I fully appreciate them. He shoves so much stuff (character wise, dialogue wise, visually and so on) that you miss so much on the first viewing. Tenenbaums is the only that worked for me the first time around fully, but amazingly the next few times I watched it I still got more out of it. I am figuring the same will happen with Life Aquatic.
Murray plays as oceanographer Steve Zissou, a Cousteau-like filmmaker who goes in search of the jaguar shark who killed his friend, taking along a crew of eccentrics, including his "maybe-son" Ned (Owen Wilson). In all honesty the jaguar shark isn't important, it's really just an excuse for Zissou to get through a mid-life crisis he is currently experiencing, triggered by the fact many people think he is now a hack filmmaker. He hopes finding and killing the shark (sticking dynamite up an uncomfortable place is the plan) and catching it on film, as well as a possible father/son subplot, will return him to his former glory.
Those expecting a "wacky adventure" about the search of the shark may be disappointed. That's not to say wacky and odd things don't happen (they definitely do, ranging from budget problems to pirates) but the film is more character driven than plot driven (as I said before the shark isn't important, just a driving device, a sort of "McGuffin") and that may throw off some.
Upon first seeing it I was a tad disappointed, but thinking about it I'm gaining more of an appreciation for it (I can't wait to watch it again on Criterion DVD). I think I was a tad disappointed that the sub characters weren't really developed but that is beside the point really as I think about it. It's about Zissou and that's it, it's his story and the change that occurs is what the movie is really about. People who watch it as a revenge movie will definitely be disappointed by the end, but as long as you realize it's a story about Steve (not the shark) the ending is quite effective, and sort of sad.
The movie is quite funny, but not as funny as Tenenbaums (maybe a second viewing will help there because Tenenbaums definitely got funnier with each viewing). The humour is pretty dry and subtle. Some of it revolves around the fact Steve really doesn't know much about the subject he's covering, the cheapness of his productions, odd sub characters (Dafoe is a riot as the "calm, collected, German" right hand man, Klaus) and his movies in general (the few we see are funny just because of how obviously staged they are, and I laughed my ass off at the one where they apparently found a thought to be extinct species because it was so phony). There are a lot of throw away jokes as well, some great movie-making gags, and the scenes involving the pirates boarding, a raid on an island and another in Goldblum's lab were some of the funniest things I saw last year. While the film did get incredibly silly at times, I at least had a smile on my face.
Anderson does direct it almost in a documentary style (though with his usual anal framing of having everything centered and in shot), some of the action scenes come off haphazard but it just conveys that documentary feel. Some people have speculated that you are actually watching Zissou's finished film, making this movie a "movie-within-a-movie". And while there are some things that would suggest that (including a surprise during the end credits, and the fact the gunshots sound like pop guns, and the alread mentioned odd but funny action sequences) I somehow doubt Anderson would go that route, as the movie would lose some of the effectiveness of the character arc that occurs.
The sea creatures are cool, stop-motion animated by Henry Selik, who did The Nightmare Before Christmas. It adds a fantasy element that all Anderson films have
I had some problems that may change on repeat viewings. I found the second half hour felt very off in terms of pacing. The first half hour is funny and goes by fast, but then the second half hour almost stops. His movies are never quick but they do move at a good pace and they work for me. Thankfully at the midway point (or around there) it picks up again. As well, as I also mentioned, I was disappointed it wasn't as funny as I would have hoped, but it might get funnier on repeat viewings now that I know the characters more (the same happened with Anderson's other films for me). I laughed quite a bit, some sequences rather hard, but after Tenenbaums I may have been expecting more. Sometimes it just comes off more silly than truly funny.
I do have to watch it again, though. Thinking about it I like it a lot more than I originally did, but it's a film I'm sure that requires a few viewings (even cast members such as Huston and Murray had to watch it a few times before it fully made sense, Murray said this on Letterman, to which the audience laughed, but he wasn't kidding.) So much is going on that I know I missed some things. Anderson's attention to detail is incredible and it makes repeat viewings worthwhile.
I know many will hate it on first viewing because I know many like things handed to them and that they don't have to think about it afterwards (and chances are to get the full effect you will have to watch it again). I know people have trouble with character driven films, and films that do require concentration and your attention, but if you make the effort you'll definitely get something out of it. This movie doesn't hand anything to you (even the jokes require your attention) and it does require your participation. It is an odd and quirky film, just a little off of reality, but it does have a heart.
My opinion might change on it after I get the DVD and watch it and the supplements (I'll either like it more, or dislike it more) but as of now I think it was an unfairly overlooked film that people weren't expecting. It might find a good audience, though. Despite the fact I know people hated it, it's the first Anderson movie I saw in the theater where the majority of people were laughing, and my wife (who doesn't like Anderson's other films) actually liked it as well. Maybe it will find its audience on DVD.
33 Almost swimmingly
Wes Anderson has had a sterling track record up until now: the hilarious "Bottle Rocket," pensive "Rushmore" and darkly funny "Royal Tenenbaums." With "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," he's not quite in top form. The movie is far from bad -- the cast is sterling, and Anderson's style is intact -- but it isn't quite as good as his past work.
Steve Zissou (Billy Murray) is a Jacques Cousteau-like marine biologist and explorer, who seems to be baffled by his own species. After the premiere of his newest documentary, Zissou informs the crowd that he intends to get revenge on the legendary Jaguar Shark that devoured his friend. Why? Revenge. So he starts cobbling together a new expedition.
Among the odd ducks who join the expedition are Ned (Owen Wilson) who believes Zissou is his father, a pregnant British journalist (Cate Blanchett) and an emotionally insecure German (Willem Dafoe). Ned and Zissou try to work out their odd relationship as their whimsical Moby Dick quest starts zoning in on the Jaguar Shark.
"The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" has an intriguing beginning and a glorious finale. The middle just lacks a bit of the necessary meat -- it needs a bit more than a whimsical Ahab quest to keep it moving. But Anderson makes up for storytelling gaps, by using his unique style and the quirky talents of his actors. I didn't know Dafoe -- also known as the Green Goblin -- was so darn funny.
Actually, the whole idea of the movie is pretty intriguing -- Jacques Cousteau with Ahab's revenge thang. And Anderson takes his cinematic quirks and turns them on "high." Dancing fish, Porteguese covers of David Bowie, and pirate attacks take place, surrounded by colorful costumes and impossibly bright settings. The sea never looked so blue. And rarely has comedy been as dry and quirky.
And Anderson also fills the gaps with his unique way of conveying... well, the best term is deadpan emotion. It kicks off with "I'm going to go on an overnight drunk, and in 10 days I'm going to set out to find the shark that ate my friend and destroy it," and proceeds with a mixture of comedy and pathos, lurking just under the surface. Nobody bursts into tears or howls with rage -- Anderson prefers to just let the actors take over their characters. The only problem with this is that sometimes he tries to cover the overstretched plot parts with it.
Bill Murray is at his best when he plays quirky, deadpan men, and he does an excellent job with Zissou. Zissou is, like Royal Tenenbaum, an aging child-man who is stubborn, insensitive, and very clueless. Somehow, possibly because of Murray's acting charm, he's likable. Wilson restrains his goofball comedy for a more poignant role, and the supporting cast -- especially the outstanding Dafoe and the wonderful Blanchett -- are also quite solid.
"The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" suffers from too little plot in some places. But don't forget, Wes Anderson at his worst moments still swims far above the average director -- and so does the movie.
34 Bill Murray doing what he does best...true Wes Anderson
Bill Murray (Lost In Translation, Ghostbusters) stars as Captain Steve Zissou..who suffers a loss when his best friend, played by Seymour Cassel (The Crew, The Royal Tenenbaums) dies from the deadly Jaguar Shark...so Murray announces he will go on a revenge quest to kill it but he cant but he goes on it anyway taking in a new member for the team, Ned, played by Owen Wilson (Zoolander, Meet The Fockers). Murray finds out Wilson might be his son...they dont know. So, the crew goes on a crazy ass adventure getting into insane situations, one involving them going on a rescue mission to get a captured friend. Like I said its crazy and insane but hey, its Wes Anderson, so what do you expect. Murray is funny as hell, Wilson is right there with him and Willem Dafoe (The Aviator, Spider-man) is a scream who resembles Jacques Castoe in a way. Also starring Anjelica Houston (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Addams Family), Michael Gambon (Harry Potter and The Prisoner Of Azkaban), Bud Cort (Dogma), Jeff Goldblum (Igby Goes Down, The Big Chill) and Cate Blanchett (The Aviator, The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy). It's not Anderson's best but it's very entertaining and the acting is dead on.
35 Perhaps I'm biased...
Perhaps, as a die-hard Wes Anderson fan, I am a little biased. I went into the theater to see "The Life Aquatic" with only the highest of expectations, and Anderson delivered as wonderfully as he did with his first three films.
While I agree that the plot could have used a bit more meat in the middle [I would have liked to have gotten a bit more into why Zissou hated fathers, and other points that were brought up but not so much developed], there was a fabulous beginning and a triumphant ending. The music, like with all of Anderson's films, is as vital as the script and scenery themselves; you cannot argue that the use of Sigur Ros' "Staralfur" in the jaguar shark scene is not terribly moving, or that David Bowie's "Life On Mars?" while Zissou walks out to smoke on the helm doesn't provide a dramatic backdrop for the scene. Also, the Seu Jorge covers of Bowie songs set a delightful undertone to the film, with each song playing rather strategically during key scenes, and the use of Portuguese lyrics rather than the original English serves a metaphoric purpose, as well as being just plain lovely. The stop-action animation of all the marine life added to the whimsical feel of the underwater scenes. The actors all carry out their roles wonderfully -- even the menial crew members perform to their highest ability [especially Willem Dafoe, Noah Taylor, and Seu Jorge] -- and Bill Murray, the essential actor in an Anderson film, delivers a stunning performance.
So yes, I have already preordered my "Life Aquatic," as it would be remiss not to, being such an obsessor of Anderson's work. But for someone who is perhaps not so "into it" [read, someone who is looking for Bill Murray in a comic role, or someone who is just looking to be entertained for an evening and not educated or enlightened], I would rent it before buying it, and watch it a few times. Anderson's films sometimes take multiple viewings before they can be fully understood.
My greatest regret is that I don't own a bigger TV; this was a film that deserved the movie theater. It was mind-blowing on a huge screen.
36 Steve Zissou
How can you not like Bill Murray. Go ahead, laugh a little and cheer at the end when they reach their goal.
37 The Greenaway connection
While the abvious inspiration for this film is the life and adventures of Jacques Cousteau, openly acknowledged by Wes Anderson, the director, in the end credits, the not so obvious inspiration is The Belly of an Architect, Peter Greenaway's 1990 film starring Brian Dennehy.
Dennehy plays the title character, Stourley Kraklite (is that a Dickensian name or what?), a renowned American architect who is married to a much younger wife. He comes to Rome, Italy to design and open an exhibit dedicated to the work of an obscure 18th century architect, Etienne Boulee. Now let's take a look at the uncanny resemblances:
1) In both films, the main character is married to a woman who takes up with his arch-rival
2) In both films, the setting--for part (Zissou) or all (Belly) of the film is Italy.
3) In both films, the main character is a recognized expert in his field who is losing his grip on his life.
4) In both films, the main character, because of #3), undertakes a project to prove to both himself and everyone else that he is still a viable force in his field.
*** SPOILER***5) In both films, the main character loses his son--in Zissou, by death of the son; in Belly, by his own death.
6) In both films, the main character has a cantankerous relationship with those he works with.
To be sure, there are differences. But the resemblances are so clear and strong that not to think Anderson was influenced by the Greenaway film would be, I think, to miss something. One of the critical differences is that the Greenaway film has far more emotional resonance because Kraklite is clearly affected by what happens to him and around him, while in "Zissou", the main character played by Bill Murray seems to have a childish blase attitude, most of the time, about the events in his life.
The Greenaway film is a compelling, albeit dark and disturbing piece of work. My strong hunch is that Anderson wanted to make an American version of the Greenaway film and in particular, wanted to show that Americans can be emotionally shallow. This definitely comes across and is, I think, the key reason that the opening and closing of the film are set in Italy and that many of the ship's crew are non-Americans--to offset the obvious emotional vapidity of Americans against other cultures.
The reason, in Greenaway's film, for the setting in Rome is similar, but rather than offsetting American emotional vapidity, it is almost the opposite of the Anderson film. Here, the Italians take things coolly while the American architect rages and storms and goes into a blue funk over his wife's infidelity. The Anderson film makes fun of Americans while itself being a somewhat shallow film; notice that very few if any characters are really fully developed. The Greenaway film takes a savage swipe at the contrast between American and European manners and mores, ultimately climaxing in the protagonist's death at the same moment his wife gives birth on the steps of a Roman building.
There is no question that "Zissou" is a very very clever film. The real question, I think, is--is it an emotionally resonant film, a film that will stay with the viewer after leaving the theater?
38 A few comments
This film isn't for everybody, I admit, but I enjoyed the downbeat, droll humor and the satire on a Jacques Cousteau-like character. Bill Murray plays the world-weary, beleaguered, and disaster-prone Stephen Zissou, whose troubles include a waning popularity with the public, the fact that he hasn't produced a winning documentary in nine years and is out of money, his failing marriage, an illegitimate son who may or may not really be his, pirates who raid his boat, a hostile woman reporter, a more successful and better-funded competitor and nemesis by the name of Hennesey (played by Jeff Goldblum) who rescues his crippled boat after the pirate raid (the boat is on its last legs anyway and keeps blowing fuses), a healthy dose of existential angst, and finally, the fact that his best friend and associate was recently eaten by something called a jaguar shark, which some people believe doesn't exist and is just a publicity stunt on Zissou's part.
The marine life is completely fanciful and digitally created, which is part of the fun, like the "electric jellyfish" and "rainbow seahorse." But the beautiful (and huge) jaguar shark turns out to be real (at least in the movie). There are so many gags in the movie that I can't detail them all, but the comments about the "bond stooge" always got a laugh out of me, and Willem Dafoe is hiliarious as Klaus, Zissou's first mate.
Anyway, as I said, this film might not be for most people, but I enjoyed the satire in this offbeat, quirky, and dour comedy.
39 Best Film of 2004, and one of the best ever!
I don't know what to tell you, I loved this film from start to finish. I normally don't write these reviews, but I felt compelled because of all the negative reviews this movie has gotten. I normally enjoy a fair mix of classic films, like Fellini's 8 1/2, or Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, but also have a place in my heart for mainstream blockbusters like Star Wars (the orginal) and cult films like Withnail and I. I have always enjoyed Wes Anderson's films. Alot of people who have enjoyed his previous films have not liked this one (at least according to the reviews I have read) but everyone I know personally who has enjoyed his movies has loved this one as well. I myself think it may be his best, but that may be because I have seen it less than his others. People have attacked it as being too much full of whimsy. I don't really know what that means, or why it is considered negative. It seems people imply that his characters are devoid of depth and his movies are just filled with odd shots and costumes and intensely developed sets. While his films are definitely filled with these things, I feel like his characters are not underdeveloped, they are just very subtle. I myself am tired of the Al Pacino/Nick Nolte overwrought performances of the past. Do not let the "whimsy" and sets and music distract you: the characters are there, they are just very subtle, and thats what I love about them. They are very controlled, and perhaps they are a bit caricatured, but they are hypersubtle versions of ourselves. Thats why these films induce repeated viewings more than any other - to catch these pieces of character, the same way that repeated viewings allow you to catch glimpses of the sets and backgrounds that you missed before. This film is his most ambitious in this regard and that is why I think it may be his best and also, why it is the one film I have seen this year that I can't stop thinking about.
40 In twelve years, the baby will be eleven and a half.
What a stunning body of work Wes Anderson has created. I will be honest, when I first saw the previews to this film I was worried that Anderson may have gone the way of so many other directors who have developed their name in Hollywood. Art is replaced by money, which is replaced by angry fans. I saw the CGI fish and began to feel a sweat break with nervousness. Will he be able to continue the humor from Bottle Rocket, the darkness of Rushmore, as well as the ensemble connectiveness from The Royal Tennanbaums? Well, folks, I am here to announce that he has taken the Hollywood money and has not veered too far off his signature course. I always imagine Anderson's work as a very dry martini. His humor, the most intelligent work I have seen in a long time, is like the liquid itself, creating this bold texture while packing a powerful emotional punch. The olives are the cast, giving just some extra to nibble on while you enjoy the entire drink. Place these elements together, the drink and olives, and you have The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.
To begin with, this film would not have worked without anyone else in the lead than Bill Murray. His ability to contain himself while also giving us the emotional stress of being a first-time dad as well as loosing his best friend is Oscar worthy. He is the perfect guide for our trip, giving us that knowledgeable laugh as well as those sympathetic eyes that seem to shout, "Everything will work out". He is bold and smooth as both the Captain of the vessel as well as learning the tricks of being a father. His ability to deliver his lines was both crucial and beautifully timed giving us just enough to make us fall in love with him by the end of the film. Coupled with his amazing performances is the work of everyone else involved. Willem Dafoe proves that he can handle any role, big or small, and make it very memorable. My favorite character during this voyage was Cate Blanchett's role that nearly stole the show from Murray. Her multi-depth character gave us just the distraction that we needed to see the power of the father/son relationship. Her quirks take us deep into the human soul and give us a mother's perspective to this mission. It is a beautiful counter to Murray's passive/aggressive father figure. Goldblum is quickly becoming a favorite actor of mine, while Huston proves that she still has the ability inside of her. Both of these guys need to see more work. The rest of the eclectic cast ranges from the hilarious "interns" to the melancholy songs of David Bowie (see if you can spot them!). Even Noah Taylor (of Vanilla Sky fame) turned out a stunning performance. The cast shines through beautifully, playing off each other, giving us some of the best performances of the year.
I will admit, Anderson's comic narrative will leave this dry taste in your mouth, but for me it was a great experience. His humor is dry, his films are dry, but that is what makes him different than others in his field. He gives us those long pauses and obscure references that will either force you to think or create frustration because you do not understand his meaning. I have grown up on his films since seeing Bottle Rocket, and I love the way this man creates. One of my favorite lines and scenes in this film that I have raved to everyone as the epitome of an Anderson film was when Zissou first takes Ned to the island and Eleanor tells Steve that one of his cats died. After some banter, Ned asks what type of cat it was. Zissou replies "Who cares. A tabby I think..." which isn't funny at first, but then you realize that all he has on the island are Siamese cats, which only make me laugh harder in my seat. That is Wes Anderson humor, and it works perfectly for me. His ability to create these challenging characters and put them in situations that I never saw coming (the "pirates" scene being one of them) was outstanding. It felt as if he was throwing his crew into different troubles daily who in turn produced some of the best work ever. Only Wes Anderson could create beauty out of chaos.
My fear of the CGI was muted immediately when I saw that Anderson used the technique to create some of the most imaginative creatures ever to lurk in the sea impressed me. He didn't use it as a central focus of the film (until the end), and used it sporadically so that it really didn't feel as if it was being used. The creatures that he created are so bold and colorful that skillfully he uses them to counter the life of Zissou, which seems be getting darker by the day. This contrast allowed me to see deeper into Murray's character and root for his misadventures throughout the entire film.
Overall, I was very impressed. I know that not many enjoyed this picture as much as his previous works, but for me it was a fresh chapter with a stellar cast. Anderson is slowly changing the face of cinema, and soon others will follow trying to recreate his award winning voice, but will not succeed. This man is in the same boat as Gondry, Coppola, Jonez, and Kaufman. These are the imaginative thinkers of Hollywood that continually break the mold and open the doors to new possibilities.
Grade: ***** out of *****
41 Too hip for its own good
It's tempting to love Wes Anderson, "The Life Aquatic's" nerdy writer/director; he has invariably made movies that go against the mainstream, with touches of quirky characters and unusual, ironic humor. His movie characters are strange people-so strange, in fact, that it seems impossible Anderson could possibly attract the big movie stars he does. In his latest film, "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou", Bill Murray, who has now been in three of the four Wes Anderson movies, leads the motley cast of Owen Wilson, Willem Defoe, Jeff Goldblum and Cate Blanchett.
Murray plays Steve Zissou, an old, phlegmatic, wealthy pothead and alcoholic that makes terrible movies about his wandering excursions in the sea. At the beginning of the "The Life Aquatic", Zissou's best friend is killed-purportedly by a Jaguar Shark-while filming a new movie. Zissou is devastated, and since he has nothing better to do, he rounds up his boating crew, Team Zissou, to find and kill the shark (which may or may not exist) that devoured his friend.
The plot is intentionally absurd. Everything about the characters and their mission is absurd as well; all the members of Team Zissou wear ugly red stocking caps and tight blue outfits. One of the shipmates plays David Bowie songs in Portugese. Owen Wilson shows up on board as Steve Zissous's possibly estranged son, an event which is used for comedy purposes rather than drama.
All the weirdness would be welcome if it was as funny as Anderson and his actors think it is. The humor, while affecting subtlety, is so flagrantly ironic that most of the laughs seemed force. During one sequence of the film, Zissou defends his crew from poorly dressed pirates by whipping out a pistol and slaughtering them single-handedly. The joke of the scene, of course, is how weird and impossible it would be for a fifty year old in a tight wetsuit to annihilate some pirates. This idea was funny for about the first five seconds-the amount of time it took me to realize what was probably going to happen when Zissou drew his pistol-and then the scene carried on for nearly five minutes.
"The Life Aquatic" wasn't weird for the sake of being weird; it was weird for the sake of being funny, and weirdness does not always create comedy. Since I never cared for any of the characters-all exuding relentless apathy, as if the irony of their surroundings was enough to make them appealing-the attempts at humor became progressively more obnoxious as the film went along.
In style, "The Life Aquatic" is resembles Anderson's previous films; irony and weirdness reigned tactfully in "Rushmore" and "The Royal Tenenbaums". But Anderson is now too aware of his unique form, finding it overly hilarious, and he uses it ad nauseam in his latest film.
42 incredible
the first time i saw it, i was kind of disapointed. i saw it again today, however, and cannot wait to go see it again.
wes anderson is, without a doubt, my favorite director. i just cannot find enough good things to say about his movies.
his recurring theme of lonliness returns here, and he paints an elegant portrait, as always, of where human shortcomings meet with the realization that its ok to not be perfect.
wes anderson movies place a welcome emphasis on character interaction and have marvelous pacing. and like usual, his choice of music is perfect.
after seeing this, people in charge of making movies like 'meet the fockers' and 'scary movie 1-3' should hang their heads in shame.
43 pretty good
If you go to this movie expecting it to make sense and expecting it to have a storybook ending, leave, and don't bother taking the popcorn or soda with you, as you've soiled them with your expectations of the movie. This movie is definitely funny, but not necessarily because of the humor. Although the humor is quite funny (Steve Zissou's generally apathetic nature is funny enough on its own), most of the humor comes from interactions between characters and the way they behave (ex. Willem Dafoe's character constantly acts childish,--which steals the show, by the way--and therefore, his character is what's funny, not necessarily the things he says.) Anyways, the movie is very vivid and colorful (language included), which is always interesting. There are some parts that are VERY boring to sit through, though they're few and far between. There's also some gratuitous nudity in this movie, I'm not complaining, but I just thought it was kind of pointless how one of the girls in the movie was ALWAYS topless. Blah...anyways, go see it if you're not looking for an intelligent comedy. Come expecting a lot of dry humor and scenes of pointless (but funny) stupidity.
44 Going back to see it again! The film was sublime
First of all, the soundtrack was David Bowie sung in portugese. I loved it!
The filmography was excellent. It was highly reminiscent of the Royal Tenenbaums. So if you enjoyed that film I almost guaruntee you'll love The Life Aquatic.
Stop Animation is used to create some scenes, and the imagery of playful camera work makes your eyes go wide with enjoyment.
I loved it. Bill Murray is a great actor once again, as well as the rest of the all star cast.
45 Zissou Life
Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums) is sowing some of his more artificial and creative wild oats in his latest, "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou." I mean stop-motion clay animated sea horses and other assorted sea creatures? As well as a third wall removed set of Zissou's (Bill Murray) ship in which Anderson films the scenes there as if they were acts in a stage play?
It's strange, weird...and I've got to admit pretty wonderful.
Bill Murray plays Steve Zissou: a Jacques Cousteau sort of Sea Adventurer who, at the film's beginning, is down on his luck and has just lost a best friend to a so-called Jaguar Shark. One of the film's funniest scenes comes near the beginning when Zissou, in a conference swears to get even with the shark by finding and murdering it to avenge the death of his friend.
Owen Wilson is also on hand as Ned: a man who claims to be Zissou's son and once again we have this recurring theme in Anderson's work about lost, then regained fathers so prevalent in "The Royal Tenenbaums."
With a film so full of artifice, snotty-yet-funny wit and the king and queen of deadpan, Murray and Angelica Huston one would think that all of "The Aquatic Life" would be without an emotional life. But I found this film to have a very deep well of emotion if you are willing to wash down your emotion with large gulps of remorse and wry humor.
"The Life Aquatic" is a veritable beggar's banquet for the eyes and the ears (a Brazilian troubadour sings David Bowie songs throughout the film to underscore the drama) and though you sometimes think the whole ship is going to go over the edge artistically...it never does. It just sails along; the course set for parts unknown and uncharted.
46 it totally rawks dood!!!
I wasn't at all dissapointed. Anderson continues his trend and blows me away again with this strang beauty. It's really everything that one could hope for in a movie: Jaguar Sharks (the first 2 words that come to his head when he vows revenge on the vicous creature he isn't sure exists), Owen Wilson with a thick southern accent, pirates, neat colors and costumes, a black guy playing David Bowie songs acoustic in portuguese. sweet. it's all here people! Those who follow Wes Anderson and own his first 3 films and have seen them all about 200 times (as I have) should not be disappointed. It's funnier, it's even more visually beautifull than The Royal tenenbaums, and it leaves you with the same feeling you got from the others. bravo!
47 Must be an acquired taste
From a review by Steve Johnson: "This is urban mythology presented in a manner which brings Bowie, Bono, and Finis Dake together in a phantasmagoric orgy of Dake-Bonoist ecstasy. It is a folk tale for the 21st century and beyond. Classic archetypes of tragedy, death, love, and resurrection and interwoven into the story line as it unfolds must relentless"
If you are among the .001% who understand what this means, then you'll most likely enjoy the film and have a "phantasmagoric" time. Otherwise, you should skip "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou".
48 A Quirky Good Time
Written and Directed by the wonderful Wes Anderson, "The Life Aquatic" is a quirky delight, easily one of the most clever and enjoyable movies I've seen in a while. For the first half of the movie I wasn't quite sure where it was headed, and then I realized it didn't matter. "The Life Aqautic" is a comedy built on its characters and their interactions with one another, and this premise is served brilliantly by the incredible cast that Anderson has assembled. Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon, and Jeff Goldblum all create interesting portraits of severely odd people. Murray is the only actor who gets the chance to give a truly memorable performance, although Huston comes close. But all of the actors fit into the fabric of the film perfectly, and are great fun to watch.
Bill Murray plays famed oceanographer Steve Zissou, who was once highly respected but is now all washed up. Steve is traumatized when his best friend is eaten by a "Jaguar Shark" while on an expedition, and sets up a mission to find the shark and kill it. Joining him on the boat are his intelligent and brittle wife (Anjelica Huston), a pregnant reporter (Cate Blanchett) who is doing a much-needed article on Steve, and a young man from Kentucky who purports to be Steve's son (Owen Wilson). Joining these main players are a motley crue of Team Zissou, a band of professed failures who wear ridiculous red hats and speedos. They set off on an adventure to capture the Jaguar Shark, and end of exploring each other, breaking numerous laws, and getting attacked by pirates. All of this is great, insane fun.
Murray, still on a high note after last year's "Lost in Translation," turns in another wonderful performance as Steve, a ridiculous, self-centered man who is afraid that he's lost everything that matters. Murray's comedic skills are impeccable, and he creates a full-bodied man in Steve Zissou that you laugh at, love, and pity, often at the same time. Bill Murray is at the peak of his powers as an actor, and it shows. Anjelica Huston is marvelous as Steve's bitter wife, as is Cate Blanchett as the persistent reporter. Owen Wilson gives one of his best performances here, choosing to play a real person and not mug his screen time away. Willem Dafoe and Michael Gambon are hysterical in smaller roles, as is Jeff Goldblum as Steve's "nemesis."
"The Life Aquatic" is one of the funniest movies out there, as well as one of the oddest. It is also, in it's own quirky way, one of the most moving. Don't miss it.
49 A pleasurably textured mass of sensory stimulation!
In this delightful film, the distinction between artist, author, and recipient blurs and becomes indistinct as this work explores the activities of contortionists, spiritual voyeurs and lyrical activists alike, notwithstanding the obvious comparisons people will make with Debi Pike, spouse of the Troubadour. Actor Bud Cort (playing Bill Ubell), in homage to "Harold and Maude", comes full circle experiencing both the allegorical mock suicide attempt and ultimate resurrection during the abduction and ultimate rescue. The soundtrack, in deference to Ziggy Stardust, Bowie, and all of those weaned on the radical musicalists of the 1970's made me weep in pleasure and recollection. This is urban mythology presented in a manner which brings Bowie, Bono, and Finis Dake together in a phantasmagoric orgy of Dake-Bonoist ecstasy. It is a folk tale for the 21st century and beyond. Classic archetypes of tragedy, death, love, and resurrection and interwoven into the story line as it unfolds must relentless
Please behold this cinematic Emergency Broadcast, networked between all the Barbie's and Butches of the world, which exudes an unremitting montage that obfuscates the borders between looking at an image and giving it to someone else. The mental imagery and etymological collage overlap each other, creating a salient textured mass of sensory immolation which provides ENDLESS opportunities for subversion. This film is a comedic paradigm shift, impelling one to grasp the real and the fantastic in a bonoistic conversion of delight and sorrow. It's good. This is a keeper.
Don't hesitate, as others have advised in regard to this film, but DIVE RIGHT IN!! See it TODAY! Acquire it tomorrow.
I WANT YOU ON TEAM ZISSOU!!!
50 ziggy played guitar
To give you some idea that people's ideas differ, I found this Wes Anderson's best movie. It's like a little Roald Dahl, a little the Graduate, a little Moby Dick, and a million other things. I could go in to more detail, but I would rather just suggest watching it with an open mind. I read some other reviews, and I don't know what the hell they're thinking.
Plus the music is awesome.
51 enjoy the scenery, laugh and relax...
First of all, if you don't want to let another reviewer spoil the ending of the movie for you BEFORE you've even seen it for yourself, do not read certain ones listed below mine. I can't understand why someone would explain in maddening detail, right up to the ending, step by step, what happens, to those who may not yet have had the chance to attend a viewing!
That being said...I went as soon as I could - the day after Christmas - to a matinee where there were perhaps four other people in the theatre. It was luxurious to be able to sit and laugh away in the dark without worrying whether others were "getting" it or not. My advice? Just go and see it. Don't over-analyze, nit-pick, or go with preconceived expectations, and you will be wonderfully entertained. I am a HUGE Wes Anderson fan, and can't see how anyone with even the tiniest sense of humor could not be mildly amused by the film. It's wildly glorious, subtle, zany, tongue-in-cheek, right in your face, trippy technicolor, full of satire, whimsy, and even laced with a touch of sweet sentiment. Bill Murray deepens and seasons impossibly, like a killer wine, with every movie he makes, and Owen Wilson's deadpan Kentucky boy manners are absolutely charming. Really. Trust me. Go and see the movie for yourself. I'll buy it as soon as the DVD comes out.
52 Disappointment
If you're expecting another "Tenenbaums" you will be disappointed by Wes Anderson's latest effort. Although there is an ensemble, Bill Murray's character is forced to carry the movie. No characters other than his are developed at all. Anderson needs to team with Owen Wilson for writing again. Life Aquatic left me gasping for air.
53 Makes Istar look like a blockbuster
The best thing about watching this movie was that the fire alarm went off and we were evacuated from the theater. Must be poetic justice. Did not bother to wait in line for a refund. Don't waste your money or time.
54 Horrible
One of the worse movies I have seen. What a waste of money!
55 Please no more bad movies!
I had been waiting for three months to see this movie. I went the night it opened--hey it looked hillarious! But was it? Nope! I fell asleep three times and I never do that. The parts that were funny such as the song in his suit were on the previews. And where the heck did all the pot come from in this movie. It was just thrown in there. I maybe just didn't get the humor in this movie.
What I did like--the music, the bright colors and and humm guess that is it.
I honestly was disappointed in the movie as it was not what I had planned. I wasn't the only one--everyone I went with was also disappointed. And many who left the theater were grumbling comments on how they were disappointed.
I saw all the reviews that said this was a good movie. So check it out if you want to but I would say if you want to see it that bad go for it...otherwise wait for video.
56 We are all fish swimming in the sea
The Life Aquatic: one of the truly seminal movies in the history of cinema! When Steve Zizzoo puts on the yellow helmet with the piped in music that goes do do do do doooo do do do do dooooooo di di di di diiiiiiiiiiiiiiii do do do do dooooooooooo... that was just oh so sublime. You know what I mean? SUBLIME......
And they have a sub, too. It goes under the sea. Do do do do doooo do do do do dooooooo di di di di diiiiiiiiiiiiiiii do do do do dooooooooooo.........
I love that song!
There's action and adventure and big fish and colorful fish. But no fish from that Big Fish movie.
Do do do do doooo do do do do dooooooo di di di di diiiiiiiiiiiiiiii do do do do dooooooooooo.........
(refrain, all together now!)
Do do do do doooo do do do do dooooooo di di di di diiiiiiiiiiiiiiii do do do do dooooooooooo.........
57 A film that plays with our expectations...
The Life Aquatic is certainly not your typical holiday blockbuster affair. The film's plot is not easily deciphered nor are its characters easy to understand, despite their outward lack of substance. But a deeper look at this film reveals an intelligent exploration of how we perceive reality. From the very beginning, The Life Aquatic toys with the audience's expectations. Throughout the film, one must ask what is reality, what are drug-induced hallucinations, and what is Zissou's movie within the movie? At the very start, we learn that Zissou's most recent film in which his best friend was eaten by a shark was criticized for being "too fake." How much of Zissou's newest film, then, is also "too fake" and being staged before our eyes? As you watch Ned chase his supposed father, Zissou, up the many levels of the boat, for instance, it is strikingly obvious that the boat is a set; we are watching them run through a cross section of a boat. Many other details of the film--from the the guy who plays guitar in almost every scene to a viewing of one of Zissou's more successful movies in which Zissou rescues an injured ferret but the event is an obvious (but humorous) sham--suggest that we are watching Zissou make a movie, not a documentary. The audience, in turn, must also question the extent to which the characters themselves can be distinguished as members of a research crew making a documentary in The Life Aquatic or characters in Zissou's movie. Zissou's wife, for instance, reveals in one scene that she is confused about Zissou's acceptance of Ned as his son because Zissou "shoots blanks." How much then, is Ned a character chosen by Zissou to fulfill a role in his own movie instead of a prop to develop Zissou's character in The Life Aquatic?
I think that most critics and movie goers have missed The Life Aquatic's intentional blurring of reality, including the idea that Ned might not die in the plane crash. Rather, Ned's death may be staged as part of Zissou's own film. Ned's death is very abrupt and unexpected in the Life Aquatic--it leaves most of the audience feeling confused and let-down. But the abruptness of the death scene and a blaringly obvious hint to the audience that says "look, we are filming this!" when bloody water splashes the lense of the camera reveals the Life Aquatic's intent to blur the line between what's the movie and what's the movie within the movie. During Ned's funeral, we see several of Ned's fellow Kentucky Air employees in attendance. This detail strikes me as rather odd for a sudden funeral at sea. Finally, at the very end of the Life Aquatic as the crew returns to the ship after a successful premier of Zissou's new film, we see a dark figure standing on the top of the ship wearing a cap and smoking a pipe, as is Ned's habit.
The beauty of this brilliant, quirky film is that it completely blurs the boundary between reality and illusion. Those trippy critters Zissou is always seeing--are they real, are they an added special effect of his own movie, or are we seeing what Zissou and his crew see as a result of their fondness for marijuana and other goodies brewed in their ship's "laboratory?" Do the characters themselves understand the boundary between reality and illusion? When am I watching a movie and when is the movie interacting with my expectations of what a movie should be?
58 'Life' A Slice Below Wonderfully Engaging 'Tenenbaums'
I loved "Rushmore", even though I can't remember it that well, since I saw it when I was eight, I remember most of the funny and clever parts (i.e. Bill Murray sabatoging Jason Schwertzman's bike;how the months are separated into curtain calls), I absouloutely adored "The Royal Tenenbaum's" and think of it as one of my favorite films. But, "The Life Aquatic" was of a different form. I went, the day after Christmas, and was expecting the usual Wes Anderson black comedy romp. No, no, no, no! It was anything but. The film starts off with Steve Zissou's (Bill Murray) friend, Esteban du Plantier (Seymour Cassel) getting attacked by a shark. According to Steve he was not swallowed but [expletive deleted] bitten in [expletive deleted]ing half. We then see Steve at a film festival, screening his movie for a large audience. The film gets off to a promising start here, revealing that Steve has a son, Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson). We go from the festival to Steve's boat, where he announces that he will leave and hunt down the shark that killed his friend. It is clear at this point that this movie will have no plot and just be a series of vignettes. So, as promised, in ten days, Steve leaves and, with his motley crew, goes to hunt down the shark. His crew includes: Klaus (Willem Dafoe), and a series of interns, soely. Oh, and an utterly random character that does David Bowie songs in Portuegese, and a consistently topless intern named Anna-Maria. Ned goes along also, with a journalist named Jane Winslet Richardson (Cate Blanchett). I'm quite happy that I got her name right, since I kept calling he Kate Winslett Depp. That's it. There's nothing else in way of plot or character description. Just as the movie edges near "Tenenbaum" territory, there is a graphically bloody attack by Filipino pirates, who capture one of the crew, slicing a machete into another. Angelica Huston is great as Eleanor, Steve's estranged wife. However, Jeff Goldblum is by far the best and funniest of all as Steve's rival and Eleanor's ex-husband. He is truly the funniest person in the movie. At one point, after Zissou and crew ransack his boat while Goldblum is gone, Goldblum informs one of his interns to get his Elephant gun and load it with pellets. he arrives next to Zissou's boat, firing into the air. It is hilarious. Ned, renamed Kingsley Zissou, a pilot for Air Kentucky, begins an affair with the object of Steve's affection, Jane. In the beginning of the movie we see Steve's boat in a cutaway form, like a dollhouse. That has to be the most interesting part of the movie. There is another, when Steve and his crew infiltrate the pirate's island. It is funny because of the hilarious music that it is played against. However, the scene is bogged down in violence and profanity. "The Life Aquatic" was a sort of fun movie, with some funny bits and a sad, relatively poingant scene in the end. But, going in, I expected more chuckles and less crying (i.e. "KINGSLEY!! WHY?"). Willem Dafoe is hilarious and his tight short shorts only make him funnier. But, alas, this is nothing like "Rushmore" or "The Royal Tenenbaum's". But thank God for Angelica Huston, who is the only remainng reminder of what the original, funny, clever Wes Anderson used to be, and hopefully still will be.
Rated R For Strong Language, Graphic Nudity, Drug Use, And Much Bloody Violence
59 OWN RUSHMORE, SAW TENNENBAUMS, CAN'T WAIT FOR LIFE ACQ DVD
LOVED IT, LOVED THE WHOLE CRAZY MADE-UP SCIENCE-LIKE WORLD. LOVED THE CANNABIS INDUCED BIG-THOUGHTS. LOVED THE LOOK, LOVED THE DAVID BOWIE SONGS IN PORTUGESE....SHALL WE CONTINUE. ALSO, JEFF GOLDBLUM DID THE IMPOSSIBLE & THE STOLE FILM FROM BILL MURRAY. C'MON, LET'S GO AGAIN.
60 The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
"The Life Aquatic" tells the story of Steve Zissou (Murray), an oceanographer in the vein on Jacques Cousteau. Zissou is in the waning days of his career, with his films losing their popularity. After his long-time friend is killed on a dive by a "Jaguar Shark", Zissou plans his biggest hunt yet: to hunt out and kill the jaguar shark. Why? Revenge.
Joining him and his crew on the adverture are a reporter (Blanchett), and a man who claims to be his long lost son (Wilson). Both these people will make the ride a bumpy one, but Team Zissou is up to the challenge.
A Wes Anderson film is always enjoyable. He plans every detail of what you see, and has a camera style that is not used enough in movies today. You always get the big picture, and there is so much to see and take in. So much so, that you will notice new things in repeated viewings that you never noticed before. I thouroughly enjoy his style, and he seems to get better and better with each film.
Bill Murray has found the perfect roles in the last few years, and is making a name for himself as a solid actor. "The Life Aquatic" is no exception. He heads the ensemble cast, and is the emotional center of the film. All the supporting players are good in their roles and add greatly to the film.
In the end, "The Life Aquatic" is probably not for everyone. There is more to it than there might initially seem, but it might make you think a little. A lot of audiences do not like that, but I for one found it refreshing.
61 More of the same from Anderson
Typically, it should be noted that anything Anderson hacks up should be applauded by me. Being a disgusting sociopath of a follower, I find his films to be unique and without flaw. Supposing I built the anticipation of this film from the get go of pre production, I was let down. It didnt deliver. It was beautiful to look at, yes. But the only characters I really enjoyed watching were the lesser roles, Zissou's ragtag team of under-minded colleagues. Ordinarilly, Anderson presents us with a fascinating ensemble cast. However, in The Life Aquatic there is an absence. Murray is just being Murray, and Blanchett along with Houston are bland female roles that add no diversity to a film that uses its weight in being the most eccentric movie journey. As usual, Anderson shows us that he knows how to make a movie. Thes film is definitely his most visual, complete with exotic colors and lush location shots. But overall, I am a dissapointed fan. It could be worse, I suppose, but this is Andersons worst film. By any means its no disaster. I just dont expect Anderson to top his two previous films from now on.
62 empty humor from Wes Anderson
A film by Wes Anderson
If you have seen one of Wes Anderson's previous three films ("Bottle Rocket", "Rushmore", or "The Royal Tenenbaums") then you have a very good idea what sort of movie "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" is. "The Life Aquatic" is a very quirky sort of comedy and it is very similar to Anderson's previous movies, though with a bigger budget which he uses for special effects that would only fit in a Wes Anderson movie. The basic plot of the movie is that Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) is an oceanographer in the mold of a Jacques Cousteau. Steve makes documentary films about his voyages and discoveries and once he was very famous and successful. Now his films are not making very much money at all. On his last expedition, one of his crew, an old friend, was killed by some sort of shark that Zissou names a "jaguar shark". While such a creature would not normally exist, the movie spends its time showing us increasingly exotic and unlikely sea creatures (and this is where the effects budget went).
At a screening of his latest film, Zissou announces the subject of his next: he is going to track down the jaguar shark which killed his friend, and kill it. When asked what the scientific value of this would be, he answers simply, "Revenge". This, from an oceanographer. Around this time, Steve also meets a man claiming to be his son, Ned (Owen Wilson). Steve immediately takes to Ned, and invites him to be a part of Team Zissou. Steve and his crew set out to sea to track the jaguar shark and everything that can go wrong does go wrong. To be honest, Team Zissou feels like a bunch of amateurs.
As with any Wes Anderson movie, the plot is not why we watch the movie. The reason we go to a Wes Anderson movie is the humor, the absurd interaction of the characters and increasingly odd situations. There is a tone, a general ambiance to a Wes Anderson movie, and "The Life Aquatic" has it in spades. Everyone speaks in a dry, slightly ironic manner where no dialogue feels real (except for that of Cate Blanchett's character). This has worked in "Rushmore" and "The Royal Tenenbaums" because it seemed to fit the characters and the situation. Simply, I believed the situations and the actions of the characters in those movies (as I did in "Bottle Rocket"). There was a deeper sense of intelligence in the humor in Anderson's previous work that is missing here. There is a lot of humor here, like the interns that continually are being tortured by Zissou, the red hats and the fact that everyone carries a glock. But, whatever it was that held "Rushmore" and "The Royal Tenenbaums" together is missing here. Instead we have several action sequences (really), an attack by pirates, and a three legged dog. The cast also includes Angelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Gambon, and Bud Cort.
A Wes Anderson movie usually takes several viewings for everything to really seep in and sometimes just to get exactly what is going on in the movie, and perhaps "The Life Aquatic" will be far more rewarding on the second or third viewing. But this movie was a bit of a let down in the theatre. I loved "The Royal Tenenbaums" and really enjoyed "Rushmore", but "The Life Aquatic" seemed somewhat pointless and this was one of my most anticipated movies of the year. Grade: B-
-Joe Sherry
63 If you didn't get "The Royal Tennenbaums" you won't get this
I liked it, but I will say out of the thirty people in the movie theatre only about eight of us were laughing; although, we were laughing very hard.
The humor is very dry. Bill Murray and Owen Wilson have these awesome monotone discussions that would be deeply poignant if said with emotion. Bill Murray totally nails Steve Zissou. You find yourself praying for this character to succeed while at the same time reveling in his failures.
It also has one of my neccesities for a good comedy. Catch phrases me and my friends can quote back and forth till someone finally goes one too many and we can never say it again: "remind me to get him a red cap and a speedo" and "bull dykes can get pregnant."
But, only certain people are going to get this movie and enjoy it. If you liked "The Royal Tennenbaums" you'll like this. If you didn't, no big deal you're not alone and should avoid this movie.
64 I don't get it...
Why does everybody seem to think this movie is so funny? I must be one of those people that isn't smart enough to "get" it. I didn't think it totally sucked - the visuals and direction were interesting and the animation was cool. I really can't imagine anyone else playing these characters... Bill Murray and Cate Blanchett and Owen Wilson and everyone else all do a good job with their characters, so the casting isn't the issue. It's just that there's really no story... you keep thinking "OK, sooner or later SOMETHING is going to happen", but nothing really ever happens. And though it's described as a "quirky, offbeat comedy" (the reason I went to see it) I think I only laughed out loud two or three times during the whole movie. It just isn't funny. My idea of "quirky and offbeat" is more like Monty Python or Seinfeld. If you're looking for a funny movie, I think you'll want to keep looking.
65 I Wanna Join Team Zissou
For months I had been waiting for this movie to hit theaters and while I didn't enjoy it as much as I did "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "Rushmore," I do feel that it was one of the best movies I've seen most recently.
The film revolves around washed out oceanographer Steve Zissou whose last few documentaries have been flops. After his partner and good friend is eaten by a "jaguar shark" Zissou decides that he will destroy the shark as an act of revenge. Along with this, his wife, played by Anjelica Huston, leaves him and he meets Ned (Owen Wilson) who may or may not be his son. Along with that mix is a jealous ship mate played wonderfully by Willem Dafoe who is threatened by Ned when he is asked to join Team Zissou. Cate Blanchett was wonderful as a pregnant reporter who falls for Ned.
One of the most common things I hear about Anderson's films is that only "smart people" enjoy them. While Anderson's humor can be a bit dry, I'll be the first to admit that it won't appeal to everyone. I like Anderson's style in that it is very nostalgic, even when it comes down to the Adidas Zissou edition trainers, and the interesting shots that Anderson takes with his films with images and the narration. But what truly appeals to me are the characters Anderson brings to life with this film. His characters are unique people who one wouldn't meet everyday, but wish you could somehow know. I also like the somber tone that this film takes towards the end when it comes to a certain part. The viewer is saddened, but it is quickly forgotten in that all things eventually work themselves out in the world Anderson creates.
I wouldn't mind seeing this movie again for the sheer fact that I loved the visual style and characters. While I don't think it's Anderson's best work, it left plently of images and parts floating in my head.
66 wes anderson's humor and bill murray's delivery - classic
i have always loved wes anderson's sense of humor - very dry, somewhat silly and always hilarious.
the life aquatic does not disappoint. the story centers around steve zissou, the captain of a ship and documentary filmmaker about ocean life. his friend is eaten by a "jaguar" shark and the film follows zissou's mission to find it and kill it, in the meantime finding his long lost son ned (owen wilson), trying to salvage his marriage to eleanor (angelica houston) and even fighting with a band of pirates. the story is an true adventure but is still wrapped up in anderson's sense of humor.
also, this film begins to be more visually abstract and creative, but still silly and ironic in that anderson way.
67 I'm Ready For My Red Hat, My Speedo, and My Glock!
What makes a good movie nowadays? For me, it's when actors/actresses play a part so well that you can't picture anyone else in that role. Does "The Life Aquatic" accomplish this? My answer is a resounding "Yes!"
Bill Murray stars as Steve Zissou, a kind of depressed Jacques Cousteau. The depression surfaces throughout the film as Zissou loses his diving partner of many years to an as-of-yet unknown shark called a Jaguar shark. On top of this, Zissou has to deal with his failing job as an underwater documentary maker, a 30-year-old pilot who shows up claiming to be Zissou's long, lost son (played well by Owen Wilson), a rich, bit@* wife (played excellently by Anjelica Huston) who is Zissou's financial backing and "the brains" behind the documentaries, a jealous shipmate and diver who feels HE is the closest thing to a son Zissou has (Willem Dafoe deserves an Oscar for his portrayal!), and a bunch of oceanic students who are bumbling morons. Add to this some nasty pirates who nearly destroy everything Zissou is trying to accomplish and you've got total mayhem, right? Wrong!
Bill Murray holds this story together so well that it boggled my mind. His interactions with even the smallest characters in the film struck the perfect comedic/dramatic chord every single time.
The all-star cast was fantastic, too. In addition to Murray, Huston, Dafoe, and Wilson, there are characters played by Jeff Goldblum, Cate Blanchett, Michael Gambon, and several others. Among these actors, I was particularly impressed with Mr. Goldblum's deadpan portrayal of a competing documentary maker. The delivery of his lines were flawless.
I also think it noteworthy to mention the incredible musical score performed by Brazilian samba star Seu Jorge (who remade/translated 11 David Bowie songs and performs them throughout the film). Incredible.
I have to mention that I almost (ALMOST) didn't go see this film after reading some less-than-impressive reviews by "professional" film reviewers. I'm so glad I didn't listen to them. I surely would've missed a gem of a film. And you might too if you don't go and check this sucker out. Go see it!
68 I loved this film
I have never really been a Wes Anderson fan to be honest. I didn't think "Rushmore" was as good as people make it out to be, and I hated "The Royal Tennanbuams". I wouldn't have seen his latest film "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou" had I not grown up on a healthy staple of Jacque Cousteau specials and his books. Just looking at a poster for "The Life Aquatic" with Bill Murray in that red cap in the submarine reminded me of Jacque Cousteau.
The story of the film focuses on a washed up oceanographer Steve Zissou, played by the unimitable Bill Murray. Steve is seeking revenge on the death of his partner and best friend Esteban who was allegedly eaten by a Jaguar shark. Well just getting the funding for the expedition was work enough for Steve and his salty crew (including the hilarious William DeFoe as shipmate Klaus). Wes also casts a couple of other "The Royal Tennanbaum" castmates in his latest film Owen Wilson as Steve's supposedly illegitimate son Ned Plimpton and Anjelica Houston as Steve's ex-wife. Jeff Goldblum is cast as Steve's rival who always gets the grant money for his research, and Cate Blanchett as a pregnant journalist.
I loved "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou". The film was colorful to say the very least. I personally found William DeFoe absolutely hilarious in this film as Klaus, Steve's long-suffering shipmate who always takes the backseat to the showboating style of Steve Zissou. I found it refreshing to see William in a role that was silly and pretty much a big drama queen. I never been a fan of Owen Wilson's work but he was pretty funny in this film. Yeah the Kentuckian accent was annoying at times but I liked him as Ned Plimpton/Kingsley Zissou. The entire cast was perfect in my book.
As much as I enjoyed the film immensely, the film isn't without fault. The film did get really silly and over-the top in the second half of the film with the pirates. That seemed rather out of place in the film. I wasn't really sure if the inclusion of the unpaid interns were necessary. As far as character development goes, more could have been done for the rest of the cast but then again, this film does focus primarily on Steve Zissou.
What I did like was how well fleshed out Bill Murray's character Steve Zissou was written. Bill Murray puts in another terrific performance that was just laugh out loud funny like last year's "Lost in Translation". I loved the underwater scenes. They were visual eye candy. Simply stunning. It is nice seeing Anjelica Houston on the big screen. I don't see enough of her in recent years.
For all its flaws, I still am giving "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" five stars. The film had so much life and energy through out the entire two hours, it kept my eyes glued to the screen. Great way to start off the new year.
69 Royal Rushmore Goes Diving
Skimmed the other reviews before I started writing this -- some strong feelings out there, especially on the negative side. My four star rating is slightly generous, probably a reaction to the angry negatives.
Because in fact, Life, for all its obviously fake pastiche underwater effects and equally fake bright colors, does not uncover ground Anderson has not previously plowed in Rushmore and Royal Tennanbaums. And that's just fine by me, although it gets off to a very slow start for the first half hour or so. Once launched on the making of the mockumentary, however, it plays quite nicely thanks to Bill Murray, a surprising William Dafoe, a deadpan hilarious Jeff Goldblum and the ensemble actors who play the ecumenical and motley crew of the good ship Belafonte. Particularly welcome are the women, Cate Blanchett and Angelica Huston. The latter, who has long cornered the market on haughty, here adds some tenderness and emotion as well. Owen Wilson underplays his character, usually a plus in an Anderson movie, but maybe not here--I'm still undecided.
Exceptional sound track, mostly acoustic guitar David Bowie, translated to Portuguese and sung Seu Jorge who plays one of the crew, named Pele of course, the one Portuguese name everyone knows. Using him as a singing commentary -- albeit in Portuguese -- recalls Jonathan Richmond's similar Greek-chorus-of-one role in Something About Mary. When the elusive jaguar shark is finally seen, Sigur Ros is the background music, a lovely touch.
Relaxed pacing, meandering quirky plot, punctuated by some unexpected, ungraphic violence, a journey taken for the journey not the destination -- that was Aquatic for me. If you're expecting or wanting something else, you probably don't know Anderson and you probably want to avoid this movie. Try Rushmore instead for your introduction to his style.
70 The Gitmo School of Filmmaking
Like Rick Moody in fiction, and Quentin Tarantino in film, Wes Anderson appears to have fallen victim to the praise of his most loyal fans who encourage his worst and are more than likely entirely unaware of his best tendencies (which are now, in The Life Aquatic, sadly nowhere in evidence, unless we count assembling a cast as a talent). From promising to wonderful early work (Moody in The Ice Storm, Tarantino in Reservoir Dogs, and Anderson in Rushmore), these producers of culture-product have shrunk in vision to the point where they've leapt into the suck of their own drain. The Life Aquatic strains for cuteness and achieves fatuity. There seems to be some identification of filmmaker with Steve Zissou, the leader of an underwater exploration operation, who vows to avenge the death of a beloved colleague (a loss the audience is never allowed to feel). Zissou's quest is linked to Melville, Cousteau, and David Bowie -- double-espresso-fueled "ideas" over which Anderson and collaborator Noah Baumbach might have exclaimed, "cool." Proust, too, is thrown into the mix: no dummies, these. In fact, they are so smart that they can use Proust whimsically. The "world" intrudes in the form of filipino-speaking pirates, an appearance as idiotic and narrow-unto-racist as the use of Japanese in Lost in Translation (the "What, me racist?" school of racism one sees in the Bush Administration). In fact, this film is a perfect product of the Bushreich: a confused celebration of an "innocence" that never existed, intruded upon by hostile forces that the audience is expected to judge without understanding -- the Gitmo school of filmmaking. Melville once said that the man who's never failed greatly can never be truly great. Let's hope that, unlike his fans and the emperor's-new-clothes critics who've found something to praise in The Life Aquatic, Anderson recognizes this film as the great failure that it is and that he's able to move on.
71 Not quite swimmingly
Wes Anderson has had a sterling track record up until now: the hilarious "Bottle Rocket," pensive "Rushmore" and darkly funny "Royal Tenenbaums." With "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," he's not quite in top form. The movie is far from bad -- the cast is sterling, and Anderson's style is intact -- but it isn't up to Anderson's past standards.
Steve Zissou (Billy Murray) is a Jacques Cousteau-like marine biologist and explorer, who seems to be baffled by his own species. After the premiere of his newest documentary, Zissou informs the crowd that he intends to get revenge on the legendary Jaguar Shark that devoured his friend. Why? Revenge. So he starts cobbling together a new expedition.
Among the odd ducks who join the expedition are Ned (Owen Wilson) who believes Zissou is his father, a pregnant British journalist (Cate Blanchett) and an emotionally insecure German (Willem Dafoe). Ned and Zissou try to work out their odd relationship as their whimsical Moby Dick quest starts zoning in on the Jaguar Shark.
"The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" has an intriguing beginning and a glorious finale. The middle just lacks a bit of the necessary meat -- it needs a bit more than a whimsical Ahab quest to keep it moving. But Anderson makes up for storytelling gaps, by using his unique style and the quirky talents of his actors. I didn't know Dafoe (also known as the Green Goblin) was so darn funny.
Actually, the whole idea of t
