19 Oct The Wes Anderson Collection: Moonrise Kingdom

MOONRISE KINGDOM

dir. Wes Anderson, starring Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, et al

Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson’s coming-of-age dramedy, tells the story of orphaned boy Sam who stages a Shawshank Redemption-like escape from his scouting camp tent to rendezvous with his pen pal and love interest Suzie, a resident of the island the scouts are camping at. Suzie’s violent tendencies and Sam’s low energy down to earth wiser-than-his-years practicality make for one of the oddest and endearing meet-cutes in film. Set against the backdrop of the fictional New England island New Penzance a few days before a record breaking storm is due to hit, the film follows the couple as they try to make a life on the island as Suzie’s parents and Sam’s scout leader frantically try to locate them. Narrated by veteran actor Bob Balaban, the race is on to find the odd couple before the weather conditions worsen.

In true Wes Anderson fashion, at the heart of the story are dysfunctional characters and strained relationships. We see at the beginning of the film Sam’s relationship to his foster parents is past its breaking point, as well as Suzie’s inability to fit in with her family, discovering something on top of the refrigerator that alters her dynamics with them. Along with Suzie’s outcast status, her parents themselves, high end lawyers, are merely going through the motions of marriage while Suzy’s mom has an extramarital affair with the town’s sheriff. Likewise, Sam’s interaction with his scout troop is one seen often in the real world: a lone kid set against the collective, ostracized by his strange nature. It’s all these oddly shaped, disparate characters interacting that makes Moonrise Kingdom such an entertaining watch. A movie with elements that shouldn’t quite work as well as they do mesh wonderfully, easily shifting between genres in a way that doesn’t feel jarring or forced. Part comedy, part drama, part coming-of-age, and a dash of the disaster genre keeps the audience guessing at where the story is going to take them next.

Featured in front of the camera are a number of first time Anderson players that would go on to become staples of his films. Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, and Tilda Swinton join old reliables Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman (all of which, with the exception of Schwartzman, returning for Isle of Dogs) in one of the best ensemble casts of that year. Aside from them, the focus of the film is squarely on young actors Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward. Gilman and Hayward do a serviceable job; it’s hard to stand out amongst that level of talent gracing the screen. While Gilman’s delivery sounds more like a kid reading lines off a page, Hayward’s performance is more natural and suited to the tone of a Wes Anderson script. By 2012, Bruce Willis was well on his way to being mentally checked out of acting and Moonrise Kingdom is no exception. He provides possibly the film’s worst performance, delivering stiff, monotone lines that fall dead on his lips. Conversely, Frances McDormand and Bill Murray are the standouts of the film, playing the loveless, bickering parents of Hayward’s Suzie. Cameos by Harvey Keitel (one of my favorite performances of his) and Jason Schwartzman are a delight, reminding fans of Anderson’s movies that even though there’s some new faces, the gang’s still all here.

As his seventh feature film, Moonrise Kingdom is Wes Anderson at the zenith of his powers. Anderson’s love of comedic whip pans and camera tilts to reveal information carries over from his previous projects as a one-two punch of camerawork that shows just how much the director is a master of the craft. Not an ounce of fat is wasted in this film; at 94 minutes the pacing is tight and swift without feeling rushed. Anderson’s decision to use the ticking time bomb method of letting the viewer know a storm is fast approaching adds a touch of dramatic irony that elevates the sense of urgency within the film. The whimsical nature of the film is aided by Alexandre Desplat’s score, full of strings and light percussions, which, when aided by Anderson’s love of pastel colors, helps to give the movie a surreal, dreamy feel.

Overall, I find Moonrise Kingdom to be the finest film in Wes Anderson’s filmography. All the familiar tropes are there: dysfunctional family, offbeat characters, and the typical Anderson color palette. Moonrise Kingdom is also his sweetest film, a story about young new love, old love, and rebellion against order. While Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward aren’t turning in award winning performances, the supporting cast around them, chock full of the familiar Wes Anderson players, are more than enough to overcompensate. In his own unique way, I think Anderson is cheekily reminding us that sometimes the kids can be far more adult than the adults.

Review by Darryl Mansel