Movie Review: The Darjeeling Limited by ME

Title: The Darjeeling Limited
Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Camilla Rutherford, Amara Karan
Directed By: Wes Anderson
Produced By: Steven M. Rales, Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin
Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy and Drama
Release Date: September 29th, 2007
MPAA Rating: R for language
Distributors: Fox Searchlight Pictures

A slightly surrealistic look at three brothers taking a spiritual journey to bring them closer together gets derailed in this supposedly funny comedy/drama from director Wes Anderson.

There was a short film screened before this called The Hotel Chevalier that will prove to be more liked than the film itself. It is a prequel of sorts that is supposed to tie in loosely with the movie but in actuality is pretty pointless, but I was more interested in it than in the film. See, Natalie Portman has an almost nude scene in it. Unfortunately, she is barely in the movie itself. The short will not be screened with the film but is available for free at iTunes (I got mine already!), and will be available on the DVD. So if you see the short first, don't get your hopes up.

As far as the film itself, it falls a little short. Anderson really should have made this more comedic. With names like Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman, you expect comedy. Anderson has made a exploration of self picture that just moseys along, stopping here, pausing there, not really leading up to any big ending or anything. Trying to perk your interest, there are some cameos by Bill Murray and Anjelica Huston, who by the way, was the most likeable character in the film. She seemed to be the only one outside of the main cast that knew what the tone of the film was supposed to be. Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Adrien Brody could make for an interesting family dynamic, but unfortunately, their personalities seem a little watered down.

The visuals are beautiful, from the countryside to the train itself. The Darjeeling Limited would make a great painting, but as far as motion pictures go, it moves about as fast as the first steam powered train.

Until The Earl Grey Limited,
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Mitch Emerson
mitchemerson@hotmail.com