« The Grand Budapest Hotel », I would book another room with pleasure!

Wes Anderson is a director that we can consider not well known in general until few years ago. He was more or less comparable to an “author movies”, an underground director and not in the front of the stage with some blockbuster or big budgets movies. I was quiet interesting to discover his universe even if this one seemed quite “special”, I mean that there is no average opinion, you like or you do not like. I hesitated, movies after movies, but when The Grand Budapest Hotel came up on the screen, I do not know but it inspired me, sending good vibes. So I leap the gap and I dive in the Anderson’s universe, and I really do not regret!
Let see the trailer.

The story start in the present time where we see a student girl coming close to a memorial of a writer, she is holding the Memories of this men in her arms, and we only see the name “The Author”. She starts to read the first chapter of this book, transporting us in 1985 in the office of “the Author” where he tell us the tale of one of his journey in 1968 in the Grand Budapest Hotel. This hotel is in a fictional republic named Zubrowka, situated in the Alps in Europe. The younger version of this author visiting this Grand Budapest Hotel which is the shadow of what it was in the past. At this time it doesn’t have his magnificence anymore, and the customers are rare. The Author meet the actual director of the Hotel, Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham) with whom he share a diner where Zero tell him his story, how he became the director and why he do not want to sale the Hotel even if it not working well. This story start in 1932 thus we discovered the young Zero becoming the lobby boy of the Grand Budapest Hotel at this time mighty and beautiful, and the place is running by the devoted concierge Mr. Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes).
The movie start like this and I can’t tell you more because I will spoiled too much and break the magic.

I have to admit that after this first ten minutes a little bit disconcerting, I was afraid because I wanted to know more about this story but I dreaded that I had started a movie to messy and boring. Let me explain, I speak about a disconcerting movie regarding the strange beginning acting like a reflexion in a mirror, seeing this own reflexion …etc…etc… (The student reading a book, and the author speaking about himself younger…etc…). It was quite confusing for me but then we managed to catch the train and everything is finally understandable (If you are a fan of Wes Anderson maybe it will be easier for you). After that we can enjoy the wingspan of this movie, and it is wonderful, it is really magical.

There is numerous characters, with a real working back story and depict by an incredible cast, just few names, Tilda Swinton, Harvey Keitel, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody, Willen Dafoe, Saoirse Ronan, Edward Norton, Léa Seydoux, Jeff Goldblum, Tony Revolori …. They are all very endearing, the lobby boy make us live a magical story, a fabled story, close to a Walt Disney movie, and the actor Tony Revolori is bluffing. However, the most impressing performance come from Ralph Fiennes as Mr. Gustave. We hate him the second he appeared on the screen, but then, we realized he has a heart, a big one underneath their concierge jacket, and moreover, his behavior is really funny and crazy. I really enjoyed that.
All those characters are gathered in this movie to get something theatrical, like a Vaudeville. Some background and camera views are sometimes like a puppet theater, or in pasteboard, and even sometimes some kinds of games of shadows. But you do not have to imagine that I described a low quality movie, it is really not the case, it is more like a wake up dream. We are dumbfounded, entertain, affected, shacked… I could going one like this for while regarding as I liked this movie.

This movie mixed easily comedy (I could say slapstick comedy) and drama. Sometimes we do not know if we have to cry or laugh, but it doesn’t matter, the purpose of a movie isn’t to instill feeling whatever they are? And it is totally successful! Wes Anderson tell us a story, or more precisely a tale, and he managed to take us so easily in his world that it is perturbing. I really recommend to see this movie because you will like it whatever your movies taste are. It is a movie for every taste without losing to provide his flavor. It is a really good job, and a big surprise that push me to see other Anderson’s movies. I give him an 18/20 well deserved.

See you soon!
Enjoy

D.A.G.

PS. Do not hesitate to let comments 😉