The Darjeeling Limited

Who could blame Wes Anderson for sticking with what he knows? He's cultivated a unique style that's as specific to his work as that of the most iconic American comedy auteurs (few of which are still working today and even fewer of which have emerged from this generation). His neurotic soul searchers, fast random dialogue exchanges, and busy layered frames are unique to him. And most importantly, even in their most banal redundant incarnations, his ticks still outweigh a vast portion of the contemporary comedy landscape when it comes to out loud laughs and lasting endearment. You could pick at the consciously adorable quirks of The Darjeeling Limited all too easily, but if you're a fan of Anderson (and it's all but certain that The Life Aquatic separated the Tenenbaums joyriders from the die hards) you'll be spellbound and gleeful at the sight of him at work once more. The Darjeeling Limited may be the least of Anderson's accomplishments, but in a filmography as consistent and timeless as his, it's hard to live up to self-made standards. It's a slight treasure, but a treasure nonetheless with endearing characters, lavish absurdities, and wit to spare.

Owen Wilson plays the oldest, most domineering brother in a trio of dysfunctional siblings (Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman round out the brood) who embark on a journey to India for the purpose of soul-searching and self-meditation. Soon they're finding themselves lost literally and emotionally, in search of a cure for seemingly incurable ailments of the soul. They bicker and brawl in grandly idiotic fashion, splintering and rejoining more than once in the brief 90 minute feature. Obstacles emerge one after another. Some are funny. Some are tragic. There's really not much more to be said. The film is somewhat obvious, maybe a little uninventive in its mechanizations. The trick to Anderson's work has never been the plot, though. Here he takes a pretty standard "on the road" story and morphs it into a meticulously patterned character comedy that speaks as loudly and sweetly about the bittersweet nature of family and life itself as his previous, superior works.

Grade: B+