The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

 

Genre: Comedy/Drama

Time: 1h 40mins

Director: Wes Anderson

Quick Summary: A writer encounters the owner of an ageing high-class hotel, who tells him of his early years serving as a lobby boy in the hotel's glorious years under an exceptional concierge.

Wonderfully charming and stylistic as always from Wes Anderson though it is easy to see why people might not like this film.

This is a story told within a story which is shown flawlessly, it's easy to distinguish between the two and they cut to each other pretty smoothly. As always, he makes his own little world within this film that is full of colourful scenery and characters bursting with personality. Everything in this has thought put into it and a clear passion is driven into it. 

This is a fun film and everyone seems to be having fun in this. It's full of quick witty dialogue and is absolutely wild with a handful of dark humour that not everyone is going to enjoy. Along with the characters, I personally liked the wide variety of personalities shown and felt that they were fleshed out pretty well. Even if a lot of them contrasted against each other, they worked incredibly well, bouncing off each other. Even the extra ones of the cast never clashed with each other. 

This film is very quick-paced. You have to be very alert in order not to miss something. The plot is not always very easy to follow, and the dialogue is fast, as well as a lot is said at once sometimes. Everything is constantly on the go, something is always happening even in the background.

One small thing I liked is the small romance plot between two characters. It's incredibly sweet and charming. I enjoyed seeing their romance come to life through little glimpses and the two interact with each other in their own cute and quirky ways. 

The set design and costumes are perfect, and there's so much attention to detail within the sets. The cinematography is phenomenal, and I really like how the film was presented in different aspect ratios. The colour palette is beautiful, wonderful pastels and bold colours are perfectly set next to each other.

For someone who loves Wes Anderson, this is definitely one of my favourites of his, though to others it may not hit the right notes and become style over substance. The characters may be overblown and ridiculous, but I enjoy that. They're extra, obnoxious, and sometimes unlikeable, but I still find them interesting and wonderful to watch. 

8/10

"Rudeness is merely an expression of fear. People fear they won't get what they want. The most dreadful and unattractive person only needs to be loved, and they will open up like a flower"

"What is a lobby boy? A lobby boy is completely invisible, yet always in sight. A lobby boy remembers what people hate. A lobby boy anticipates the client's needs before the needs are needed. A lobby boy is, above all, discreet to a fault. Our guests know that their deepest secrets, some of which are frankly rather unseemly, will go with us to our graves. So keep your mouth shut, Zero."