Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Bob Balaban
Year: 2012
In case you didn't know, The Royal Tenenbaums is my favorite film of all time, written and directed by, of course, Wes Anderson. I've loved everything he's every done except, of course, The Life Aquatic (no one liked that one). And I was pretty sure I would enjoy Moonrise Kingdom if it was at all like the former, as opposed to the latter. I was not disappointed.
Set on an island in New England in the 1960s, the story is, quite simply, one of young love facing insurmountable odds. Sam, an orphan Khaki Scout, and Suzy, an angry schoolgirl, decide to run away together, following an old Indian trail and living off of Sam's Scout training. However, Suzy's parents, Sam's Scout troop, and the local police team up to find the young couple. As the storm of the century approaches the island, can love conquer all?
Taking a classic tale, setting it in an interesting location, and adding some patented weirdness, Anderson creates a movie that is part children's novel, part dark comedy. He has an amazing ability to transport audiences into an Anderson World where the bizarre makes sense and all characters learn something about themselves in an hour and a half. The acting is impeccable, the dialogue is hilariously understated, and the mood is captivating. While not quite Tenenbaums standard, Moonrise Kingdom is a wonderfully strange love story that will be loved by any Anderson fan.
My rating: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
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