The Grand Budapest Hotel Movie Reviews

The Grand Budapest Hotel is a trip to bountiful…

This may be the best work from director Wes Anderson…

The humour is deadpan, the lines crisp, the characters are random and together they make it work in a very refreshing fashion. Anderson deserves full credit for being true to his oeuvre, and giving the audience what they expect of him. You must watch this movie for both Fiennes and Anderson, and for a lesson in the film watching experience itself. It doesn’t pander to audience whims but instead is an honest attempt at being bizarre. And you what? It works.

We are blessed, that in this age of crass, commercial filmmaking, there is a special corner reserved for Anderson to inhabit this wonderful, magical life. And we thank him from the bottom of our hearts for letting us experience his dreams in full colour and grandeur.

Wes Anderson is Hollywood’s Lewis Carroll – and The Grand Budapest Hotel is his Wonderland. Set in the imaginary Eastern European republic of Zubrowska, in the delicately hysterical years between two World Wars, the Grand Budapest Hotel is a lacy handkerchief of nostalgia, a naughty piece of silky lingerie – and a dagger soaked in blood.

Despite the hows and whys a Wes Anderson film will inevitably fling in your general direction, you do tend to overlook these things. Why? Because as human (flaws and all) as it is, it is also quite fantastical. And you do want to be transported to a time or place like that. If even for a little under two hours. Go for it!

This is a movie for everyone. You shouldn’t miss this. As the ending credits roll, you will sit in the theatre and wonder ‘where did the time go?’ And you will want to watch this movie all over again. The experience of The Grand Budapest Hotel is sheer brilliance combined with humor and passion.

Wes Anderson is one of those rare filmmakers whose every indulgence you’re willing to forgive, simply because of the loving detail he infuses into his frames, shots, scenes and characters. The Grand Budapest Hotel is yet another feather in his colourful and doubtlessly centre-aligned hat.

The film is a screwball comedy in its truest sense. Buoyant and idiosyncratic, opulent and silly, this one is for lovers of cinema that goes beyond Hollywood mainstream.

Overall, do not expect the film to be realistic, but within its own framework, the film is captivating and engrossing.

The film itself is a madcap caper on one level. On another, it’s a look at a dying world, and way of life, in the period between the two world wars, with the specter of totalitarianism looming. Just like the fictional hotel in the title, the movie is a meticulously constructed confection, featuring the extreme attention to detail that Anderson is famous for.

Anderson is no realist. This movie makes a marvelous mockery of history, turning its horrors into a series of graceful jokes and mischievous gestures. You can call this escapism if you like. You can also think of it as revenge.

Wes Anderson continues his tryst with quirky storytelling. If you liked Moonrise Kingdom, you’ll love The Grand Budapest Hotel. It’s like a slice of Mille fuille (better known as the Napoleon pastry). Elegantly decorated, deliciously crusty and delightfully creamy. Savour every bite.

A perfect little gem in an imperfect world…