Wes Anderson films always provide me with an unparalleled sense of joy. Not just because they are meticulously crafted, visually stunning, heart-warming and quirky, but because without a doubt they are always damn good films. I know I was late to see Moonrise Kingdom and for my sins that was rectified by multiple viewings... But I have to say, out of Anderson's work The Grand Budapest Hotel seems to have eked out all that have come before it just by being flat out dazzling the time round. Rushmore is my favourite Anderson film (mostly because Bill Murray is pretty much perfect in it I could write essays about why) but that took a long time to appreciate, multiple viewings to truly understand the depth and attention to detail imbued within the film. Where the underlying aspects of TGBH might take more viewings, at this moment, for sheer entertainment, it is joyful.
I doubt Anderson has ever been so outright funny, which is tempered by the melancholy of the fact the core story is set in the past and the outcome is presented to us from the very start. A Wes Anderson film is never just one thing, I could describe it as a caper, but it could also be a mystery (although it's kind of obvious who has done what...) it could also be the closest Wes Anderson may ever get to a 'thriller', it's ostensibly a comedy but it's so many things all rolled into one with homages I probably couldn't even begin to recognise because as is usual, they are all so elegant.
If we were to stand by the assumption the film is first and foremost a comedy then most of the humour comes from Ralph Fiennes unbelievably outstanding performance as M. Gustave, essentially the main and most important character. As an actor his most famous roles are Voldemort, Amon Goeth and M in the latest Bond film as well as his Shakespeare roles for which he has earned heaps of praise. Why has this man not done more comedy? He is sublime in this role, it works so well for him? Sure I spent half the film laughing every time he said 'fuck' or any other swear word, or mentioned his sexual exploits or basically said anything, even his poetry is deliciously demented; I'll grant the film may almost over-abuse the hilarity of having Ralph Fiennes breaking his upper-crust exterior and swearing like a posh sailor a little too often but it just works so delightfully well and it just never gets old.
I wouldn't want to go into how much I love this film through fear of basically recounting every scene, and I must stress every single shot of this film is beautifully thought out and symmetrical, and perfect to observe. Every colour, every second has had so much thought and care lavished upon it and it's just so lovely to watch.
There is a distinct lack of innocence in the film and it's the most overtly sexual/violent of Anderson's work which makes it all the more shocking and unpredictable as events spiral out of control. There is murder, intrigue, a slew of familiar faces turning up - all of the usual suspects from Anderson's world, but also a few new faces who fit seamlessly into this universe, such as the young Zero, Gustave's protege and the beating heart of the story, special shout out to Lea Seydoux as the anxious French maid with a mincing little run, I hope she turns up again in a bigger role, she seems to be a perfect fit in Anderson's world. Then there is also the prison break (which was ridiculously elaborate and hilarious throughout) which was incredibly brilliant, not least because the brains behind the operation was a particularly intimidating inmate who was also a master artist who drew a perfect map but his prison tattoos (which covered his bare chest) looked like they'd been doodled by a thirteen year old girl; I don't know why but it's small unspoken flourishes like that which make Wes Anderson's world that much more fun to be in than reality... Whether the characters are breaking into poetry or insulting one another or stating the most dubious things or just flirting, it's all just so delightful.
With The Grand Budapest Hotel, if you can't find humour, warmth, excitement or a familiar melancholy, then you clearly aren't looking hard enough. This is film as is as close to perfection any form of entertainment could ever be; it transports you to a fictional beautiful world that is so like our own but just so much better, you won't ever want to leave.
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