Wednesday, December 29, 2004
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou Review
Writer/director Wes Anderson kinda missed me with Rushmore, but he really had me with the Royal Tenenbaums! I loved the whole feel of that film with the monotone speech and the actors showing little or no emotion/expression. I’m not sure why exactly, but it was deliciously drab and offbeat with kinda dark humor that has turned it into one of my favorite films in recent years. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou has that same tone and feel and it just cracked me up!
Bill Murray plays Steve Zissou, an oceanographer known for his documentaries. When a “Jaguar Shark” eats his comrade and best friend, Zissou declares at the viewing of his latest documentary that he has sworn revenge on the mythical creature and will hunt it down if his life depends on it. He rallies his crew, including his wife Eleanor (Anjelica Huston) and a man claiming to be his long lost son by the name of Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson). Ned is welcomed aboard with the phrase, “get him a red hat and a Speedo.”
A movie like this is all about the subtle touches. The entire set of the ship from the side is shown to you in a tour of the boat. The submarine was named after his old girlfriend (Ned’s mother), but the name is crossed out and replaced. The quirky Team Zissou aboard the Belafonte includes:
Steve Zissou (Bill Murray), the slightly crazy leader who is a subtle playboy. His heart is reluctantly in the right place.
Eleanor Zissou (Anjelica Huston), Steve’s wife and the brains behind the team. Steve is lost without her and her parents’ money.
Klaus Daimler (Willem Dafoe), Zissou’s new right hand man. He longs to be needed, wanted and recognized.
Anne-Marie Sakowitz (Robyn Cohen), the organized, sole woman of the ship who seems mostly concerned with sun-bathing her bare breasts if the temperature is above 30.
Pelé dos Santos (Seu Jorge), a shipmate with a passion for singing David Bowie songs in Portuguese while playing a classical guitar.
A reporter by the name of Jane Winslett-Richardson (Cate Blanchet) joins the adventure for a cover story on Steve. She’s pregnant by somebody else’s husband and falls for Ned, much to the dismay of Steve.
Alistair Hennessey (Jeff Goldblum) is Steve’s nemesis, another oceanographer with unlimited funds and all the perks of being famous.
In the midst of hunting the Jaguar Shark, pirates storm the Belafonte and Bill Ubell (a lawyer brought on to keep the investors happy) is kidnapped. The journey suddenly changes course and now Team Zissou must save Bill!
The things about this film that I loved:
The animation of the sea creatures. Though realistic in movement, all were very bright in color and seemed just a bit off. I found this very comical for some reason.
The music. Don’t get me started, but Devo front man Mark Mothersbaugh scored this film! The tunes include everything from full orchestral pieces, to toy instruments with a drum machine, to my favorite old Devo tune, “Gut Feeling/Slap Your Mammie.” Something about resurrecting that 1979 song for a brand new film just got me all giddy!
The performances. All were great! Even with the dark undertones and black comedy, the over 2 hour film kept me mesmerized.
Things I didn’t like about this film:
Pretty much nothing to complain about! If you saw it, post your comments for me. If you have not seen it yet, I think you’ll be as pleasantly surprised as I was – THEN you can post your comments for me.
Bill Murray plays Steve Zissou, an oceanographer known for his documentaries. When a “Jaguar Shark” eats his comrade and best friend, Zissou declares at the viewing of his latest documentary that he has sworn revenge on the mythical creature and will hunt it down if his life depends on it. He rallies his crew, including his wife Eleanor (Anjelica Huston) and a man claiming to be his long lost son by the name of Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson). Ned is welcomed aboard with the phrase, “get him a red hat and a Speedo.”
A movie like this is all about the subtle touches. The entire set of the ship from the side is shown to you in a tour of the boat. The submarine was named after his old girlfriend (Ned’s mother), but the name is crossed out and replaced. The quirky Team Zissou aboard the Belafonte includes:
Steve Zissou (Bill Murray), the slightly crazy leader who is a subtle playboy. His heart is reluctantly in the right place.
Eleanor Zissou (Anjelica Huston), Steve’s wife and the brains behind the team. Steve is lost without her and her parents’ money.
Klaus Daimler (Willem Dafoe), Zissou’s new right hand man. He longs to be needed, wanted and recognized.
Anne-Marie Sakowitz (Robyn Cohen), the organized, sole woman of the ship who seems mostly concerned with sun-bathing her bare breasts if the temperature is above 30.
Pelé dos Santos (Seu Jorge), a shipmate with a passion for singing David Bowie songs in Portuguese while playing a classical guitar.
A reporter by the name of Jane Winslett-Richardson (Cate Blanchet) joins the adventure for a cover story on Steve. She’s pregnant by somebody else’s husband and falls for Ned, much to the dismay of Steve.
Alistair Hennessey (Jeff Goldblum) is Steve’s nemesis, another oceanographer with unlimited funds and all the perks of being famous.
In the midst of hunting the Jaguar Shark, pirates storm the Belafonte and Bill Ubell (a lawyer brought on to keep the investors happy) is kidnapped. The journey suddenly changes course and now Team Zissou must save Bill!
The things about this film that I loved:
The animation of the sea creatures. Though realistic in movement, all were very bright in color and seemed just a bit off. I found this very comical for some reason.
The music. Don’t get me started, but Devo front man Mark Mothersbaugh scored this film! The tunes include everything from full orchestral pieces, to toy instruments with a drum machine, to my favorite old Devo tune, “Gut Feeling/Slap Your Mammie.” Something about resurrecting that 1979 song for a brand new film just got me all giddy!
The performances. All were great! Even with the dark undertones and black comedy, the over 2 hour film kept me mesmerized.
Things I didn’t like about this film:
Pretty much nothing to complain about! If you saw it, post your comments for me. If you have not seen it yet, I think you’ll be as pleasantly surprised as I was – THEN you can post your comments for me.
posted by Pat Angello, 4:50 PM