"The Darjeeling Limited" seems a fitting moment to borrow fellow maroon5gurl88's invented word, anticipointment. Having thoroughly enjoyed "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," my delight at seeing another writer/director Wes Anderson film was tempered only by actually seeing this latest film.
American brothers Francis, Peter and Jack who've not spoken in a year (after their father's death, hit by a cab in New York), but they other two invite Francis' invitation to travel to India on sort of a spiritual journey and personal reunion. The spiritual journey falls off course as the result of a combination of popping over-the-counter medications, Jack pepper-spraying his brothers as they fought, and a poisonous snake they bought getting loose in the train -- so they're thrown off the train.
It's much of the usual silliness of Anderson's work, but without some of the flair in the script. Anderson hasn't broken from using his favorite actors whom he's favored so consistently amongst his films, including Bill Murray (in a token, walk-on role) and Owen Wilson (whom Anderson has co-written some of the past scripts with in the past).
I want to rave about this film, honest. But I didn't find anything that really grabbed and amused me to the level I'd hoped; the lack of a lot of chuckling confirmed my suspicions. It was billed as an adventure and a comedy, though neither really struck me as such. Riding on a train, then walking along, lacks a certain flair of drama in my book. A joke about the train stopping because it was lost fell flat.
I went to 'Darjeeling' with a hardcore Anderson fan, and she wasn't particularly impressed, either. Too much build-up, too little delivered. If you lean too far along the quirky and eccentric, you may just tip off the map. "The Darjeeling Limited" is on a path, but the brothers' journey is not. While I enjoy a wander as much as the next bloke, this one was struggling for a path to be beaten. Maybe next time, Wes...
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