The Darjeeling Limited

I have a complicated relationship with Wes Anderson. I love some of his films: "Rushmore," "Isle of Dogs," "The Grand Budapest Hotel," and "The Royal Tenenbaums." However a lot of his work feels repetitious. Anderson's characters always remind me of J. D. Salinger's fictional Glass family - white, precocious, wealthy, and liberally educated in the arts. In an Anderson film, a character will read a list of things they are packing in a suitcase, or a list of things they need to do. Sometimes this can be charming or even funny, but often I find it annoying. This isn't Anderson's problem, it's mine. If I don't enjoy it, I shouldn't watch. Which is maybe why I avoided "The Darjeeling Limited" for so long. It came out in 2007 when my kids were just one and three and it quickly passed me by. Recently two of my closest film nerd friends told me I should watch it; "It's good" they said. One of them was Peter Thompson, owner and operator of Movies 'N Stuff here in Ottawa. Maybe he was telling me that at the time to make sure I purchased from him the old Blockbuster DVD I held in my hand. I bought it. Watched it. "The Darjeeling Limited" might just be my new favourite Anderson film. It's certainly his most personal film, most human. What's it all about? Three brothers (played by Owen Wilson, now two-time Academy Award winning actor, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman) travel through India after their father's untimely passing to find their mother who is at a Christian monastery. It's a road trip movie. I was delighted from the opening shots. There is a warmth and honesty these characters have which doesn't often permeate Anderson's other work, or at least not as much. I loved this film. Catch it streaming or go rent it from Peter at Movies 'N Stuff here in Ottawa.