by Roger Bourke White Jr., copyright April 2014
I found The Grand Budapest Hotel delightful. It is a strong candidate for my favorite of 2014. This is a wonderful example of an internally consistent movie within a surreal comedy format. This is not a common style, but director Wes Anderson is mastering it well. He previously did Moonrise Kingdom which is in a similar style and also delightful.
There are two great strengths to this movie. The first is the filming style. What is depicted on the screen is delightfully abstract. Unlike contemporary CGI with its attempts to get more and more "real" in depicting the fantastic, this movie shows off graphic arts mastery in what is displayed. It is like watching a well done painting. We are shown things because they are fun to look at.
The second great strength is the consistency of the characterizations -- the characters are doing what they are doing for good reasons. Early on in the movie M. Gustave, the legendary concierge, explains to the new Lobby Boy, Zero Moustafa, what his job is. Throughout the rest of the movie he does it... exceptionally well! This is an example of the internal consistency.
Between the delightful camera work and the good characterization. This is an enjoyable comedy. I'm going to keep enjoying it for quite a while.
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