The Life Fantastic
Published February 11, 2005
The rest of the cast in The Life Aquatic hold their own admirably.
Owen Wilson has an easy and quietly understated screen presence, and he is thoroughly likeable as the (maybe) son of Zissou. Jessica Houston is fabulous, in every sense of the word, from her penchant for thin black cigars, to her delicious haughtiness, to the way she is bedecked in every scene with prodigious and glamorously exotic jewellery. Willem Dafoe, as Klaus the German First Mate, hams it up delightfully, but never to the detriment of his character or the movie.
Perhaps the only false note in the whole proceedings is Cate Blanchett, as English journalist Jane Winslett Richardson. Her accent is (as always) dead on, but somehow her performance seems too broad, and her character is the least affecting of all the crew aboard the Belafonte (Team Zissou's research vessel). The Belafonte, it should be noted, is a converted World War II submarine and becomes a character in its own right, as much a part of the crew as its human counterparts.
It's obvious that Anderson works overtime to get all the details of his film just so.
Where others may see Life Aquatic as finicky and lifeless, however, I felt it to be teeming with delectable, ineffable and ambrosial delights. There are too many of these to numerate, but special mention must go to Brazillian troubadour/film co-star Seu Jorge for his live, acoustic renditions of Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie. Listening to Life on Mars sung in svelte, gorgeously plaintive portuguese is nothing short of sublime. (Not to mention a stroke of genius on Anderson's part).
Many critics have panned Life Aquatic for being less than the sum of its parts. Yet the devil is in the details, as they say, and Life is endlessly diverting and playful. It is visually sumptuous and I found its peculiar whimsy and eccentricity never less than thrilling. I was enchanted. There is no other way to put it.
Certainly, however, the film will not be to everyone's taste.
But if you like your cinema quirky, a little absurd, impressively clever and lavishly realised, then this is the movie for you.
Climb aboard, sit back, and enjoy.
It's a ride.
- The Life Fantastic
- Published: February 11, 2005
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- Section: Video
- Writer: Kirsten Cameron
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Although the critical reviews weren't too great, everyone I know that has seen the film has absolutely loved it. Granted, this may have something to do with the fact that I attend a liberal college specializing in the arts (Film majors consitute a large percentage of the undergrad population, myself included) where many people have a soft spot (read: undying love) for Wes Anderson. I thought it was a fantastic piece and it ranked right up there with his other contemporary "classics."
I'm so glad you liked the film. I think the clue to why it's getting strange reviews is in one of the lines from the opening scene of the film -- "I just don't think they got it."
BY the way it's "Anjelica Houston", and "Sofia Coppola".
Also, just my opinion but I think Owen works very hard at that Ned character. I think his usual lazy charm is probably 'easier'.
Oops. Thanks for the heads up Chelseagirl (re: Anjelica and Sofia) - really appreciate it! And you're probably right about Owen. But he's always so easy to watch, that's the thing.
So glad you guys liked the film as much as I did. Some of the reviews I've been coming across were seriously starting to make me doubt my own faculties.
I reiterate though: I stand by Wes. This film was a corker. (As we say Down Under).
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I think Life Aquatic is probably a hard movie for a lot of people to like, but I loved the hell out of it, personally. Of course, I've loved everything Wes Anderson has done, so I'm certainly biased. But still, it was a great and completely silly--yet, somehow in a dry way--movie.
It certainly was more ridiculous than his other movies. The humor is just . . . well, sillier, as I already said. It worked fine for me, but it is something of a departure. I wouldn't put the movie up there with Rushmore or Royal Tenenbaums, but it's still excellent.
Possibly my biggest problem with the film is that I didn't get enough from the relationship between Zissou and Owen's character. It just never seemed to hit quite the right emotional notes to me and at the end--well, that ending didn't hit me as hard as it seems like it should have.
But it was still a terribly entertaining movie and quite funny to boot.