The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Starring Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, Arien Brody, F. Murray Abraham

Directed by Wes Anderson

Synopsis:
In modern time, a young woman visits the grave of the Author, while holding his book "The Grand Budapest Hotel."  In 1985, the Author (Tom Wilkinson) informs the audience as to how he wrote the book.

He takes us back to 1968, when the young Author (Jude Law) meets the owner of the now defunct Grand Budapest Hotel, Mr. Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham).  The Author wants to know his story, and Moustafa is more than willing to share it.

In 1932, a young Moustafa - whose first name is Zero (Tony Revolori), serves as a lobby boy during the glory days of the Grand Budapest.  He works under the tutelage of the concierge, M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), who is also a playboy who woos wealthy dowagers, including Madame D. (Tilda Swinton).  When she dies, he inherits her priceless painting, "Boy With Apple," which infuriates her son Dmitri (Adrien Brody), who brings false charges against Gustave for the murder of Madame D.  What follows is a prison escape, a race from the cops and deranged killer Jopling (Willem Dafoe), a love story for Zero, and a return to the Grand Budapest.

Review:
Director Wes Anderson ("Moonrise Kingdom," "The Fantastic Mr. Fox,"  "The Royal Tenenbaums") returns with his own unique style with one of best films to date, "The Grand Budapest Hotel."  He brilliantly blends a quick-quipped British humor with stylish visuals and stunning cinematography.

While it's not everyone's "cup of tea," this film is fantastic for its dry wit and sophisticated humor, which is far above the typical comedies of today's time that focuses on how many farts can be done in a minute or how many sexual innuendos can be expressed.  There are so many hilarious scenes, but one that stands out is when Jopling (played brilliantly by a stoic Willem Dafoe) throws the cat owned by the family lawyer (Jeff Goldblum) out the window, and the lawyer says, "Did he just throw my cat out of the window?"  It was delivered so perfectly it had me crying from laughter.

Ralph Fiennes has some of the best lines in the film though, and his delivery is utterly spot on.
Gustave: Give me your hand. You've nothing to fear. You're always anxious before you travel. I admit you appear to be suffering a more acute attack on this occasion, but truly and honestly... oh, dear God, what have you done to your fingernails?
Madame D.: I beg your pardon?
Gustave: This diabolical varnish; the color is completely wrong!
Madame D.: Oh really? Don't you like it?
Gustave: It's not that I don't like it; I am physically repulsed.

At the heart of the film is the relationship between Gustave and Zero (played by Tony Revolori, in a revolutionary exemplary first performance), as Zero helps Gustave escape and clear his name.  Along the way, they too share some witty intelligent dialogue.
Gustave: She was dynamite in the sack, by the way.
Zero: ...She was 84, Monsieur Gustave.
Gustave: Mmm, I've had older. When you're young, it's all filet steak, but as the years go by, you have to move on to the cheap cuts. Which is fine with me, because I like those. More flavorful, or so they say.

Gustave: Serge X, missing. Deputy Kovacs, also missing. Madame D, dead. Boy With Apple, stolen. By us. Dmitri and Jopling, ruthless, cold-blooded savages. Gustave H, at large. What else?
Zero: Zero, confused.
Gustave: Zero, confused, indeed. The plot thickens, as they say. Why, by the way? Is it a soup metaphor? Zero: I don't know.

The cast is at the top of their game.  Besides featuring four Oscar winners in supporting roles (Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Fisher Stevens and F. Murray Abraham), the film also features eleven Oscar-nominated actors (Bill Murray, Jude Law, Jeff Goldblum, Edward Norton, Owen Wilson, Harvey Keitel, Bob Balaban, Tom Wilkinson, Willem Dafoe, Saorise Ronan and the lead, Ralph Fiennes).  With an acting pedigree like that, it's no wonder a film like this was such a delight.

Summary:
With dazzling cinematography and spellbinding set pieces that harken back to an older age, a venerable whos-who of actors and lighting quick wit, you've got a brilliant comedy-drama filled with exciting twists and turns that will also have you laughing out of your seat.


My Rating: A+