"The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014) | Sam Gall Movie Review Issue #64 Gem Mint 10.0
“The Grand Budapest Hotel“ (2014)
Director: Wes Anderson
Writer: Stefan Zweig (inspired by the writings of), Wes Anderson (screenplay/story), Hugo Guinness (story)
Starring: Tony Revolori, Ralph Fiennes, Saoirse Ronan, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jude Law, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and more
Rated: R for language, some sexual content and violence
Runtime: 1h 39min
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Crime
Country: Germany | USA
Language: English | French | German
“A writer encounters the owner of an aging high-class hotel, who tells him of his early years serving as a lobby boy in the hotel's glorious years under an exceptional concierge.”
You might like this if you like: Wes Anderson('s work), Comedies, Dramas, Dramedies Adventures, Crime Stories, Fairy Tales, Tony Revolori, Ralph Fiennes, Soairse Ronan, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jude Law, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray
Ralph Fiennes (left) & Tony Revolori (right) in "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014)
A new favorite of Wes Anderson’s for me! For some reason I’d been putting off watching this one for years. I’ve never been as big of a fan as a lot of filmmakers are of Anderson’s as I’m a fan of way too many but have always deeply adored “Rushmore” and “Moonrise Kingdom”. “Bottle Rocket” is great too, but the “Royal Tenenbaums” scene where Luke Wilson is at the sink with the blood makes me queasy and want to pass out. I hate looking at that shot. Any self infliction scenes on screen or real life I can’t stand. Other than that the film is pretty damn great. “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” just didn’t do it for me and I found it to be sort of slow. “Darjeeling Limited” was good but wasn’t blown away by it. I’m open to giving those another chance someday though and maybe I’ll feel different. I have yet to watch his two stop motion animated films which I’m looking forward to.
Tony Revolori (left) & Saoirse Ronan (right) in "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014)
I loved the world Wes Anderson created for this film. The images have stuck with me more than any other of his films. There’s one shot where it shows the elevator thingy going up the side of the mountain which I’m pretty sure is a stop motion miniature, but I could be wrong. Either way, I loved that shot! All the pink and purple colors in the movie were gorgeous. A memorable color palette. Seeing those sets they built really showed how they were 90% of the beauty of that movie. Costumes too. Like, no matter how you framed or shot, it probably looked f*cking gorgeous. The props and makeup, all the world building visuals were some of the most memorable parts for me.
I was almost overwhelmed by the tsunami of super star actors in this movie but then again I sorta picture a line of stars waiting to be in whatever Wes Anderson does next. My favorite moment was seeing Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man universe’s Willem Dafoe punch Tom Holland’s Spider-Man’s universe’s Tony Revolori in the face. Love those cross-world movie moments especially with actors. My new favorite Tony Revolori and Ralph Fiennes roles by far. The sweetest buddy dramedy I’ve seen in years.
Willem Dafoe (left) & Adrien Brody (right) in "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014)
I could go on praising every cast member. So many of my favorite faces coming together. I had no idea Harvey Keitel was in this which was an awesome surprise for me. I loved Willem Dafoe so much in this. Jeff Goldblum and Tilda Swinton are always treats for me to see. Edward Norton and Saoirse Ronan were lovely! So many more! Everyone was! Adam Brody. Oh my god. So great. Another awesome crossover moment, the star from “The Pianist” and “The Piano” are both in this movie.
Jason Schwartzman (left) & Jude Law (right) in "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014)
I loved the whole jail storyline and how Wes played that out. I could go on and on about every scene. It’s a little hard to navigate without spoiling some great sequences so I’ll end this one short with the following..
A magical fairy tale set in a hyper real world with a fantastic group of characters. Made my heart melt and my mind inspired.
Written by Sam Gall on 09/28/20
CGC Grading: Gem Mint 10.0
"The Grand Budapest Hotel is a fast-paced beautiful spectacle that never ceases to amuse you." - Shikhar Verma, High on Films
"There's a tantalising darkness just beneath the surface of Anderson's trademark whacky whimsy in his latest offering, The Grand Budapest Hotel, making it one of the year's most unforgettable films" - Stephen A. Russell, The New Daily (Australia)
"Magnificent and magical, once you check-in, you'll never want to check-out." - Debbie Lynn Elias, Behind the Lens
"Anderson's particular aesthetic can sometimes serve to keep the audience at arm's length, but here it achieves something deeply beautiful, even warm and inviting." - Matthew Lucas, The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)
"The Grand Budapest Hotel is immense fun and, as far as Anderson's oeuvre is concerned, unquestionably the rarest of fillet steak." - Ben Nicholson, CineVue
Official Trailer:
Available on various VOD sites
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