Moonrise Kingdom
2012
***½
Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Bob Balaban
Wes Anderson is an acquired taste. When he gets it right, his mix of vacuous whimsy and otherwordly visuals can produce delightful results, like The Royal Tenenbaums. When he drops the ball, he gives us boring and self-indulgent twaddle like The Darjeeling Limited. This rather charming comedy is set in 1965 on the fictional island of New Penzance. Just as a storm is approaching the sheltered community, two misunderstood preteens carry out their plan and run away together. Anderson's movies always look fabulous, but often add up to nothing. This one actually looks to be about something, namely the transition from youth to adulthood, and from fantasy to reality. However, even when the events turn grim (kids stabbing each other or getting hit by lightning), he plays it for laughs, and never lets me forget that this is just cinema.
