16 Oct The Wes Anderson Collection: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

THE LIFE AQUATIC W/STEVE ZISSOU

dir. Wes Anderson, starring Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Houston, Willem DaFoe, et. al

The year is 2004 and Wes Anderson is about to unveil his fourth feature film. The financial success of The Royal Tenenbaums – his highest grossing feature until 2014 – and the previous cult hits in Rushmore and Bottle Rocket (Martin Scorsese would name this one of his top-ten favorite films of the 1990’s) also serving to add to Anderson’s allure as a rising auteur filmmaker. He was quirky and had a dramatic use of color and a certain flare with the camera.

Leading into Life Aquatic it seemed like a surefire hit. You have an all-star cast lead by Bill Murray and a story that only Anderson could dream up. All the ingredients are there, so why is this Andersons biggest “flop”, bringing in less than 50 percent of its budget and unfavorable reviews? The answer is a little complicated. While this may be the most “Wes Andersony” of his filmography, the handling of the central character’s emotions and motivations make it the least accessible.

The plot centers around an oceanographer, Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) who is working on his latest documentary when his best friend is eaten by the elusive “Jaguar Shark). Distraught and out for revenge, he vows to see the shark destroyed.

On the surface, it seems like a revenge tale, but with Anderson’s way of storytelling, this simple story of revenge morphs into a father-son drama about regret and legacy.

During the course of the film Steve meets a man who is possibly his long-lost son, Ned (Owen Wilson). This is the central relationship and driving force of the plot, if somewhat unconventional. The two men are so aloof and self-centered that most of the attempts at connecting are thwarted, either by each other or outside sources. There are pirates, eccentric crew members, and rival seafarers, all of whom bring the joy and whimsy you have come to know and love in a Wes Anderson film.

The misunderstandings audiences have with this film is how the emotional beats are all kept at arm’s length, whether they are undercut by jokes or absurd situations, it’s just hard to invest into characters who are literal caricatures of themselves. The silly antics and childlike renderings of the various made-up sea-life may turn off viewers as well. But if you look past that you will see that Anderson is setting up an emotional payoff that is quite unexpected. The entire film is wrapped around this fake documentary both as the audience’s POV and the characters as well. This is exactly why things feel off with the characters, they are playing to the camera much in the way we would see such things later on in television shows like The Office, the difference is that this distinction is much subtler in the film.

With one of the best-supporting casts featuring Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Gambon, and Bud Cort there is not a wasted scene among any of them. He uses his casts sensibilities and strengths to add to the film’s overall look and feel.

The film’s soundtrack is beautifully played in the scenes by Seu Jorge who performs David Bowie songs in Portuguese on the acoustic guitar. The lack of emotion from the leads is replaced by these songs and Mark Mothersbaugh’s score.

As the film draws to its conclusion everyone knows there will be some kind of encounter with the notorious Jaguar Shark. The entire cast ends up in a submarine together, beaten and bruised and carrying the weight of all they have been through on their faces. Everything leading up to this moment has been played up for the documentary crew and now, at the conclusion, there is nothing left but to finally lay eyes on everything that has eluded Steve, for him the shark is so much more than revenge. It is his sanity, his reason for living – this is his white whale. When finally they encounter the beast, and everyone reaches out to touch Steve, all those suppressed emotions roll out in a beautiful picture of love and support.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is a misunderstood classic and one of Anderson’s finest films.

4 out of 5

Special guest review by Joel Winstead, owner of Winstead Reviews, contributor to Inside the Film Room and Asheville Movies