Grand Budapest Hotel is similar to all other Wes Anderson movies: surrealism reaching its own limitation when stretched over a 2-hour runtime.
Some of the scenes are really beautiful, like the chase scene between Willem Defoe and Jeff Goldblum thru the museum; some scenes are LOL funny, like the chase scene down a bobsledding run and over a ski jump...but what never connects for me are some of the core emotions. For example, the older Zero waxes philosophic about his dear, departed wife Agatha who died in childbirth, yet he tells that part of the story in only a sentence or two compared to the long narrative about his mentor, Gustav. Agatha's death had no impact on me, emotionally.
Anderson inevitably chooses quirk over substance. The jailbreak sequence is another example. The crux of the action is that Agatha smuggled them in some tools. OK, fine. But, the convolutions of the escape itself go on and on with no context. We know that they filed into the sewer pipe, yet magically none of the prisoners are covered with filth when they reach the outside. Quirk over substance.
Don't get me wrong, there are good things about the film, too, like the framing - older Zero telling his story (a la Amadeus). Also, Ralph Fiennes' character is delightful. He unapologetically loves the finer things of life, and his worldview (respectful rejection of incompetence) carries the day in most circumstances. Sadly, by movie's end, I had pretty much lost interest.
***SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED***
Some of the scenes are really beautiful, like the chase scene between Willem Defoe and Jeff Goldblum thru the museum; some scenes are LOL funny, like the chase scene down a bobsledding run and over a ski jump...but what never connects for me are some of the core emotions. For example, the older Zero waxes philosophic about his dear, departed wife Agatha who died in childbirth, yet he tells that part of the story in only a sentence or two compared to the long narrative about his mentor, Gustav. Agatha's death had no impact on me, emotionally.
Anderson inevitably chooses quirk over substance. The jailbreak sequence is another example. The crux of the action is that Agatha smuggled them in some tools. OK, fine. But, the convolutions of the escape itself go on and on with no context. We know that they filed into the sewer pipe, yet magically none of the prisoners are covered with filth when they reach the outside. Quirk over substance.
Don't get me wrong, there are good things about the film, too, like the framing - older Zero telling his story (a la Amadeus). Also, Ralph Fiennes' character is delightful. He unapologetically loves the finer things of life, and his worldview (respectful rejection of incompetence) carries the day in most circumstances. Sadly, by movie's end, I had pretty much lost interest.
***SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED***