Use Your Eyes: Moonrise Kingdom

We won free tickets to an advanced screening of Moonrise Kingdom last week and it. Was. Glorious. Easily shot up to the number two spot in my (highly competitive) Wes Anderson rankings, beat out only by The Royal Tenenbaums - which in turn ranks pretty high on my list of favorite movies of all time. Anderson movies have become something of a cliche because he is so very consistent in his viewpoint, direction and aesthetic, but they never feel dated or repetitive to me.  There's something so counterintuitively compelling and true about the stiffness and awkwardness with which the actors approach their roles in his films. The consistent use of comedic actors in decidedly deadpan/dramatic roles might fall flat with other directors, but with Anderson it just feels right. I don't know any other director, except possibly Ben Stiller (a comedic actor himself) who could possibly make a muse out of Owen Wilson without making himself a total laughingstock. Somehow, it works.

Anderson's characters themselves are equally lovable for their earnest naivete and their bumbling semi-competence. Everyone you meet is either an emotionless automaton or a selfish, isolated mess of a human, whether because of his or her own poor decisions or because of past tragedies (sometimes both). Love storylines are typically weird, thwarted, intergenerational or even semi-incestuous. But, because we're watching a movie and not just people sitting around crying, these sad sacks are not going gentle into whatever good night might await them. They are agents in their own stories, compelled to move forward into their world(s) to pursue what they lack, or at the very least lash out at those who they perceive to have what they don't. And, I'll admit, I don't mind that in most of his films, Anderson's characters generally reach some point of reconciliation if not catharsis. I like "happy" endings and I won't apologize for it: they're emotionally satisfying.

I also enjoy that his movies tend to have dog and library book fetishes, wicked beautiful soundtracks, and that at least three of them contain a pivotal line that begins "I love you, but . . .":

Moonrise Kingdom: "I love you, but you don't know what you're talking about."

Fantastic Mr. Fox: "I love you, but I never should have married you."

And, best of all, The Darjeeling Limited (in the midst of a brotherly brawl): "I LOVE YOU TOO, BUT I'M GONNA MACE YOU IN THE FACE."

(Animated gifs not directly tied to quotes, because a) spoilers? eh. and b) the right gifs were hard to find.)

In any case, I highly recommend Moonrise Kingdom. The film certainly certainly scores high on the twee-factor but also feels fresh because of the two unknown but instantly lovable preteen actors at the center of the story. The initial flow from scene to scene feels a bit choppy (even for Anderson) because there are so many characters to establish sans narration (excepting the occasional interruptions of time-traveling weatherman Bob Balaban). But once we zoom in on the two kids at the heart of things it's smooth sailing until nearly the end. Also Bill Murray takes off his shoe and throws it at Ed Norton. What's not to love?