The Grand Budapest Hotel - Noodles Review

9 out of 10 Noodles

    The Grand Budapest Hotel wasn't really on my radar up until very recently. I hadn't even heard of this film or seen any trailers until about a week before I saw it. Even watching the trailer, though, you really have no idea what this movie's gonna really be about, or what it's gonna be like. At first glance, I thought this was a drama, especially see that ensemble cast since most of them are hardcore dramatic actors. The movie, while still being very dramatic, is also extremely comedic. And that's what we get from writer/director Wes Anderson. The guy is such a unique filmmaker, and he's stayed true to that because I honestly have no idea how to describe The Grand Budapest Hotel. Is it funny? Yeah. Is it dramatic? Yeah. Is it quirky? Yeah. Is it an Oscar-worthy tour-de-force? Yeah. Is it unique? Oh hell yeah! And I keep saying the word "unique" because there's honestly no other way to describe the movie. It's a Wes Anderson feature with sharp dynamic writing and constantly changing yet consistent tones; but it's also even got some surprisingly gratuitous violence, outbursts of profanity, and even heartfelt romance; plus some really great suspense. It sounds like I just named the aspects of 10 different movies/genres, but yet this film has all of those seamlessly blended together, with the help of smart filmmaking and a star-studded cast.

    If I tried listing the whole starring cast of well-known talented actors in this movie, I'd probably fill up this whole post because it's literally filled with great talent in almost every role. However, it's obvious that the main star of the movie is Ralph Fiennes (aka Voldemort) as the concierge of the hotel, in what's probably the best performance I've seen so far this year. The movie start out with Jude Law's character talking to the character of F. Murrary Abraham. First off, let me say that it's so great to see F. Murray Abraham because I haven't seen him since 1984's Amadeus, in which I think he gave one of the best performances in movie history. He's still great here, 30 years later. But anyway, he tells Jude Law that he's the owner of the Grand Budapest Hotel, and then begins to recount his life as a young lobby boy that worked in the hotel, under the wing of Fiennes's character. He's played by a young first-time actor whose name I don't know, but he did a really good job, especially considering how much he had on his plate to handle, plus the intense amount of talent he had to share the screen with. The rest of the supporting cast, as I said, is huge, and they're all good; but one stuck out in my head: Jeff Goldblum. He has that familiar charisma that he had back in Jurassic Park and it's great. I have to say though, some of the characters did seem a little underused. It's hard to believe that this movie's only roughly 100 minutes, because it's got so much in it. With that, it can seem a bit crowded at points or clustered, and I think that if the movie were about 20 minutes longer (making it 2 hours), it would've been able to convey all of its genius at a more consistent manner. But regardless, virtually everyone was great in the film.

   While the enormous cast and incredible acting is a great component in this movie, it's got so much more to it. Like I said before, there's mature violence, gut-busting comedy, good romance, etc; what really surprised me was how well this movie portrayed suspense. Tension was so well done in this movie, and there was so much suspenseful intrigue. I wouldn't be so surprised if there was great suspense in a badass action movie like Taken, but I didn't really expect it in a drama-comedy that takes place in a European hotel. And that's the thing about this movie: you have no idea what to expect when you see it, and that's maybe the best thing about it. The movie's so damn original and unpredictable! It even almost feels like a fantasy at times, like this place isn't real; but the well-realized characters just bring it to us. The movie's really funny and incredibly intellectual. It's a complex story that goes at a fast pace so you really have to be alert throughout or else you'll miss something. There's a lot condensed into it, and that may be a minor downfall, as the film is thusly not accessible to all in the sense that it can be viewed and appreciated. But watching this film, I was entertained and mind-boggled at the same time throughout. And despite a crowded feeling and some other little gripes, The Grand Budapest Hotel is still an inredibly unique and smartly enjoyable movie, earning 9 out of 10 Noodles.