Director Wes Anderson is known for his QUIRKY, independent, off-beat, QUIRKY comedies, including “Rushmore”, “The Royal Tennembaums” and “The Darjeeling Limited”. In 2009, he released his first animated film, “Fantastic Mr. Fox”, (based on the Roald Dahl book) starring George Clooney and Meryl Streep. I thought it was the best movie of 2009 (even better than Pixar’s “Up” which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature that year), because of the storytelling, the look and the humor. It’s an amazing film.
Because of “Mr. Fox”, I was really looking forward to “Moonrise Kingdom”, Anderson’s latest live-action film. And you can tell right from the first minute that this is a Wes Anderson movie. He has a style all his own. That’s one of the few things I enjoyed about “Moonrise Kingdom” – the Anderson touches. Unfortunately, I was disappointed by much of the rest of the film.
The story begins in 1965, and is told by an on-screen narrator, a forced character. Newcomer Jared Gilman stars as Sam, a twelve-year-old orphan who lives on an island, apparently in New England. Sam’s a member of the “Khaki Scouts”, a Boy Scout-like troop and he’s run away from camp. The movie flashes back one year and we learn why Sam has run away – it’s to be with a girl he met named Suzy (newcomer Kara Hayward). The two become pen-pals and then decide they need to be together because neither of their lives are working out too well. Once they do run away the search for the young lovers begins.
And here’s where the all-star cast kicks-into action: Frances McDormand and Bill Murray play Suzy’s lawyer parents, whose marriage isn’t in good shape. McDormand’s character is having an affair with the island’s police chief (played by Bruce Willis). And the leader of a scout troop (Edward Norton) also joins-in.
As you would expect, some bizarre, and yes, QUIRKY things take place the rest of the way. There are moments that are supposed to be funny, but most just aren’t. One of the biggest problems for me was that the Sam and Suzy characters just aren’t that likeable. You’re supposed to want to root for them to beat the odds and get to be together and be happy, but until late in the film I really didn’t care what happened to them.
One of the bright spots in “Moonrise Kingdom” is the performances by the adults cast: Murray, who, of course, also has his own style, is both occassionally funny and effective in a few serious moments. McDormand and Norton are fine, though a little over the top, which Anderson’s roles often call for. Willis plays the sheriff pretty straight. At times he seems to not belong with these other QUIRKY characters. Anderson loves to put Jason Schwartzman in his movies. This time he’s got a small, but funny role as a counselor at a near by camp. And Tilda Swinton plays a social services employee named “Social Services”. I guess that’s supposed to be QUIRKY.
And the movie does look great. Anderson’s decision to use brownish, grainy-looking film adds perfectly to the mid-60’s feel. The camping settings are authentic and on-screen graphics work nicely.
“Moonrise Kingdom” is rated PG-13 for some brief violence and language. It’s appropriate for teens and up. The true target audiences for this movie are adults and, of course, Anderson fans who I’m sure will enjoy it.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “Moonrise Kingdom” gets a C+. I really wanted to love it. Maybe I was just expecting too much after “Mr. Fox.” QUIRKY is fine, but you still need a captivating story and compelling characters.