For fans and detractors alike, Wes Anderson’s name is forever associated with idiosyncratic, unapologetic weirdness. One of the surprise hits of last year was Moonrise Kingdom, another 2012 gem with kids at the center, which incidentally may also have been the best Anderson offering yet with the potential to turn some of his skeptics into believers.
What this movie captures is the awkwardness of children and young relationships; whether this awkwardness is part of a phase or not is undetermined. Child protagonists seem to fit in well with Wes Anderson’s style, which is absurd and surreal at times, but the characters never come close to giving any indication that anyone would find their behavior the least bit amusing. Indeed, it’s their earnestness that is so intriguing and funny.
Jared Gilman as Sam Shakusky is a weird kid, and universally recognized as a weird kid. We’re not supposed to learn anything from him. We just get to observe him in all his weirdness, and the innocence that allows him to not really care what people think about him (yet). As a result we’re able to find him and romantic interest Suzy as adorable as they ought to be found, which is one of the reasons this movie is so great.
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Published: Nov 10, 2013 12:02 pm