Moonrise Kingdom
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, Edward Norton, Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward
Reviewed by Mitchell Peters
[Rating: 3.5/5]
Director Wes Anderson won critics over early with the likes of Bottle Rocket and Rushmore. He cemented his style on the masterful, The Royal Tenenbaums. Quirky families, beautiful set pieces and subtle comedy were set against intriguing stories of eccentric family life. Recently an art show was held to celebrate Anderson’s work, and it was called Sad Dads. That’s the core of Anderson’s best work, the relationship between a boy/man and the need for a steady father figure.
Moonrise Kingdom is set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965. The film tells the story of two 12-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing offshore — and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in every which way.
Like all of Anderson’s work he likes to use famous faces in an ensemble cast. Here Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff, Captain Sharp. Edward Norton is a Khaki Scout troop leader, Scout Master Ward. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand portray the young girl’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bishop. The cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and Bob Balaban; and introduces Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as Sam and Suzy, the boy and girl.
The film is like a play within a film. Like all great art it takes you to a place that you’ve never actually been to, but you’d like to go there. Co-written with Roman Coppola, Anderson’s new go-to partner, the film is good. It’s charming and beautifully shot: but it lags somewhere in the middle and you’ll find yourself checking your watch. Of course, when the final resolve comes there’s that clutch in the throat that Anderson never fails to deliver. In brief, it’s better than 90% of the movies out there. But it’s not his best. Let’s hope Anderson and Owen Wilson restore their collective mojo and start writing together again.
