Movie Review: Moonrise Kingdom

I enjoyed Moonrise Kingdom even though I usually can't stand Wes Anderson films. That being said, I probably would have enjoyed Moonrise Kingdom more if it hadn't been for, you guessed it, Wes Anderson.

Now the Wes Anderson formula is something people either love or hate. I always seem to find myself in the latter. If you've seen one Wes Anderson film, you've basically seen them all. Now I gotta give him credit where credit is due, Anderson has successfully created his own visually striking cinematic universe. Unfortunately his visual style usually overshadows the substance of his films and this is what irks me so much about the director and his latest film, Moonrise Kingdom. I'm not alone here, google "Wes Anderson Formula" and you'll get a bunch of articles from different film sites/blogs that have been bitching about Anderson's beautiful artistic crutch for years.

MFW: DAT Wes Anderson Formula

So without further adieu, here's the Wes Anderson formula:
bright colors
Bill Murray
deadpan/one dimensional characters
spartan use of dialogue
smoking
ironic clothes/hair styles
slow motion
rigidly tight and unnatural close up/zoom shots

For better or worse this is what people have come to expect from Wes Anderson films and he doesn't fail to deliver his now trademark brand of quirk/eccentric film making in his latest work.

totally natural. totally believable. totally.

Moonrise Kingdom is the story of two young lovebirds/social outcasts who runway together into the wilderness of a tiny New England island. It's set in 1965 so Anderson's film is writhe with bright retro colors and vintage, everything. We get Bruce Willis and Edward Norton running around in dorky outfits that are not only nostalgic/ironic but almost excusable because of the time period. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand deliver the most phoned in performances of the year (but done so intentionally I'm sure....damn that formula!) and we're subject to more awkward shots and cringe worthy bouts of dialogue.

Now that I'm done bitching, I must say, Moonrise Kingdom's saving grace are it's two child stars, Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward. They play Sam and Suzy, the island's two social misfits who are too smart/eccentric for their own good. They form an instant bond and won't let little things like geography, family or the half-assed boy scouts stand between them. At first I thought they both were smug/pretentious little jerks and didn't really care for them. When they started roughing it in the woods my attitude changed slightly, but when they get to the beach and start stumbling through the physical and emotional stages of first puppy love, even this bitter old grinch couldn't hate any longer. The stares, the kiss, the goofy fucking dancing. I was sold.

congrats, you saved the movie!

So somewhere, hidden deep down beneath the pomp and pastels, there's a touching story inside Moonrise Kingdom. I have a feeling I'd have enjoyed it more if Anderson's wonderful visual style didn't overpower the narrative, yank me out of the film's reality and make me want to punch myself in the face. Still, a good movie though. No really!



TLDR: Moonrise Kingdom =