Pinky: “Me and the boys talked it over. We think you are a really straight fellow. M. Gustave H.: “Well, I’ve never been accused of that before, but I appreciate the sentiment.”
Once again, Wes Anderson has given us the kind of madcap story that only he can invent. In The Grand Budapest Hotel, we are immersed inside of not one, but two flashbacks.
An author (unnamed, but played by Tom Wilkinson) explains in an interview that all of his ideas come from incidents in real life. We then see his flashback to his visit to the tired, nearly empty, terribly decorated Grand Budapest Hotel when he was a young man with writer’s block (now played by Jude Law). He happens to visit at the same time as the owner, Mr. Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham). When the two meet, the young writer asks how he came to own the hotel. Thus begins a new flashback, when Mr. Moustafa was nothing but a lobby boy named Zero (Tony Revolori) under the tutelage of M. Gustave, the concierge (Ralph Fiennes). Gustave is a wonder. He runs the then quite popular hotel (located in the fictional European country of Zubrowka) with precision, charm and ease, and he develops a liking for Zero, bringing him under his wing. M. Gustave takes it upon himself to not just serve his guests as a concierge, he also serves the older rich women (married or not) physically. There is a quick flip through some bawdy scenes with M. Gustave and these women which you’ll find difficult to shake out of your mind’s eye.
The film really takes off when an elderly guest (Tilda Swinton in terrific makeup) leaves the hotel after proclaiming her love to M. Gustave (he tells her he loves her, too) and then turns up dead soon afterwards. M. Gustave immediately takes the train, with Zero in tow, to pay his respects at her home. This train ride is just the beginning of the madcap adventure filled with unforeseen hijinks right up until the end of the film.
At her house, the pair pop in on the reading of the will. Nearly every actor Wes Anderson knows is in this film, so you won’t be surprised to hear Jeff Goldblum is the executor, Adrian Brody is the deceased’s son, and Willem Dafoe is a henchman. Everyone is shocked to hear M. Gustave has been awarded a priceless work of art, a painting called Boy With Apple. Although he is forbidden to take the painting upon further examination of the will, M. Gustave makes off with it anyway (hilariously leaving a risqué Klimt-like drawing in its stead). Soon, the chase is on! And oh, what a chase it is!
I would hate to spoil what happens, but let’s just say there are close calls, characters who are caught, and characters who escape. There is love, there is lust, there is anger, there is understanding. There are trains, cars, skis, mountains, monks, jail breaks and pastries. There are a few good doses of violence, cameos by a million familiar faces, and plenty of impossible situations.
Ralph Fiennes is plainly the star and he plays this role for all it is worth. M. Gustave rides the line between gay and straight beautifully. He is always unfailingly bent on being civilized; quoting poetry and acting with propriety on most occasions. It makes it all the more shocking each time he abandons being civil for a choice swear word or two. He hits this role out of the park, being hilariously funny and completely embodying Anderson’s dialogue. Comedies rarely get Oscar nods, but if they were nominating this minute, I’d give him entry into the Best Actor category. Trust me, you’ve never seen Fiennes like this before.
While many complain of the determined quirkiness of Wes Anderson’s films, this one is potentially the least quirky and the quickest moving of any I have seen. Once the real story kicks in, it is fairly nonstop action. The plot mixes in brewing civil war in Zubrowka, with a strong and frightening military presence (mitigated only slightly by Edward Norton’s character) which highlights how being an immigrant with a flimsy visa can be terrifying (and nothing has changed, has it?). M. Gustave’s charms and connections save his skin more than once (who knew there was a secret society of concierges?), but even he can’t dodge a murder charge. Or can he?
Like all of his movies, Anderson’s extreme eye to detail and his obsession with symmetry (check out this video to see what I’m talking about) are, as always, in full force. Few filmmakers are as meticulous as he is, and it is often pure eye candy to simply watch the scenery.
If you enjoy a good comic romp with plenty of great scenes to look at, I would highly recommend The Grand Budapest Hotel. It has been quite awhile since I was as thoroughly entertained.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Fg5iWmQjwk]
