Where Has Wes Anderson Gone
The last best Wes Anderson was probably “The Royal Tenenbaums” in my opinion. Since then, his films have become studies in set design and graphic lettering while his soul seems to be on hold. This is fine in and of itself. Often we make tropes and shells of past success stories until we get our groove back, but it’s during this period of soulless storytelling that his fandom has grown, and that makes me wonder if he will ever return from the void, or just set up a cozy hermit house there in the land of the lost.
It seems each film lately has been a trope. A study of Wes Andersonism. As if Wes Anderson is stuck making films which look Wes Anderson-y. I miss the messy storied days of “Bottle Rocket” and “Darjeeling Limited.” Where the quirk of his style of filmmaking worked with the magic of story.
Perhaps he is recuperating in a shell of vapid output, about to grow into something better. “The Grand Budapest Hotel” was brilliant in that it portrayed the American imagination of How Europeans Are. However, it disturbs me because it means the European people who worked on the film either were a) were in on the joke, but most likely no, because they are European, thus b) Wes manipulated them into creating the American Vision of Europeans, without them realizing. From the “Lutz Blitz” to the complicated pastry boxes, to the tilt of the bellboy’s hat. This is all American hyperbole of What Europeans Do.
Because, you can’t make that shit up. And if b) is true, I believe Wes might be in a very dark place.
On your rocket Wes. Please?
