The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)


 

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I saw The Grand Budapest Hotel over the summer after I stumbled across it online. I had never seen a Wes Anderson movie and I had no idea it was already in contention for awards season but I decided to give it a try.

To my disappointment I was waiting for the movie to be over a half hour after it began. I thought the story was flat, the scenery was distracting, and the characters were dumb. Of course, it was a very artistic film and I understand, and typically enjoy, those type of movies, but absolutely nothing in that film resonated with me. I was very surprised to hear that so many people thought it was so great.

The Grand Budapest Hotel is about a hotel concierge who befriends his lobby boy in order to prove his innocence in a murder that took place at the hotel. That all sounds exciting, but I’ll admit I had no idea what direction this movie was taking at certain points, and not in a good way. I couldn’t quite understand the relationship between the two main characters and I couldn’t follow their actions which was the most frustrating part for me. Nothing they did seemed to make much narrative sense and every scene seemed to just serve as a jumping off point to get to the next inane, oddly choreographed scene.

One redeemable thing about the film was the acting.  Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revolori play the concierge and the lobby boy respectively and they did a great job with the remarkably strange characters they portrayed. Although I was personally frustrated by the writing, there were some great moments to show off the actors’ skill with emotional and poignant scenes sprinkled in. I also think there’s something to be said about the costumes and how well they were done and fit into the strange little world Anderson had created, but I think they also contributed too much to the off-putting setting.gbh

I think The Grand Budapest Hotel’s main problem was its heavy reliance on aesthetic. Anderson obviously spent a great deal of time on how he wanted the movie to look with the outside shots of the dollhouse-like hotel and the cartoonish sequences. I’ll admit it was an interesting film to look at, just not an interesting film to watch. The movie can be the most beautiful or aesthetically pleasing film ever made, but if it doesn’t have a good plot or compelling characters, it probably won’t hold my interest. Of course, some people prefer cinematography and how the film looks, and because of that I can completely understand why people like this movie, but for me, the story and writing comes first and if that doesn’t hook me, I probably won’t be impressed.

One thought on “The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

  1. This is a movie that really peaked my interest because of the interesting setting, but sometimes these types of films that heavily rely on visual aesthetic seem to fall flat in regards to the plot. Based upon your review I don’t think this is a movie I’ll be seeing anytime soon!

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