Moonrise Kingdom (B+ or 3/4 stars)
The sense of time & place in Wes Anderson's nostalgic youth romance film, 'Moonrise Kingdom, is potent. The year is 1965 & the location is a sparsely-populated island in New England (filmed in Rhode Island). Young Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman) is a smart wilderness-savvy scout at Camp Ivanhoe. He's an orphan who has been living with a foster family, but they have informed his Scout Master (Edward Norton) that they aren't "inviting him back." Sam, a talented oddball, is the victim of ridicule by his peers. Stuck in a similarly stifling situation is young Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward), who is the bane of her family's existence.
She lives in a large red house by the sea on the other side of the island with her temperamental dad (Bill Murray), & perpetually-stressed mother (Frances McDormand), who is having an affair with the local sheriff (Bruce Willis). Sam meets Suzy at a church pageant & they begin to correspond via letters. In each other, they have found a soul-mate. So what do they do? They run away together. When these 2 headstrong rebels run away, the whole wacky community mobilizes to search for them. Leading the way is the Ed Norton character who is sad that Sam's escape from Ivanhoe took place on his own watch; he involves the whole troop in trying to track down the couple. And his hard-assed commanding officer (Harvey Keitel) is really pissed about the whole affair.
Meanwhile, Sam & Suzy draw closer. He turns out to be a great provider of food & shelter. She reads to him from her favorite girl power fantasy books. They experiment with kissing; groping; arousal. And as they relax on their own beachfront 'Moonrise Kingdom', Suzy's kitten quietly observes it all. Their misadventures get interwoven with the efforts of the adults who are looking for them; culminating in one wackadoo climax (including, amid other things, a Social Services representative played by Tilda Swinton, a fire, a flash flood, a lightning storm, a church, and a steeple, haha).
You know, Wes Anderson films are sometimes too quirky, too artificial, and/or too clever for some audiences - so clever, in fact, that the humanity threatens to get leeched out of each of them. But that really doesn't happen here. 'Moonrise Kingdom' is lovingly crafted with an intense attention to detail that is wonderful while, at the same time, displaying affection for its young protagonists, and still staying true to Anderson's quirky aesthetics. It all works here: the bullhorn that Frances McDormand uses to call her children to supper, a hand-crafted beetle earring, a pipe, binoculars, fantasy novels, a squirrel hat, an axe, a bus stop, a tree house wavering atop a tall tree, etc.. I loved it all. I also enjoyed the warm, golden-toned cinematography; creating great nostalgia for the 1960s. As is normal for Anderson movies, the camera tracks shots through walls of rooms to offer a cross-section of where the action transpires.
So overall, I quite liked 'Moonrise Kingdom'. It took me a while to like the kids (which is an issue). But midway through, I finally latched on to the quietly off-beat, almost blase tone of their relationship. Each child possesses distinguishing traits. I like that this innocent "love" story is seen through the eyes of these 12 yr. olds. That affords us the transportative chance to remember our youth, our innocence, & imagine what we would have done in their specific circumstances. And for these kids, in particular, the fact that their close friendship springs from their weirdness, loneliness, & being misunderstood - is a very sweet notion.
Some of the adult characters are more developed than others, but I typically enjoyed them all. I found Bruce Willis and his character arc most effective. There's also a well-written/acted bedroom scene btwn. Bill Murray & Frances McDormand. I liked the narrator of the movie (Bob Balaban), who clues us in to the history & geography of the island. And Tilda Swinton's feisty Social Service rep. goes to show that sometimes ... kids really do deserve their freedom. 'Moonrise Kingdom' is a bit off-kilter, & mostly delivered in a deadpan manner. It looks swell. The music (a blend of Alexander Desplat's score & great prior works) aids the story. And it's just nice to sit back & watch Wes Anderson tackle young romance with a hand on his heart & a tongue firmly planted in his cheek.
She lives in a large red house by the sea on the other side of the island with her temperamental dad (Bill Murray), & perpetually-stressed mother (Frances McDormand), who is having an affair with the local sheriff (Bruce Willis). Sam meets Suzy at a church pageant & they begin to correspond via letters. In each other, they have found a soul-mate. So what do they do? They run away together. When these 2 headstrong rebels run away, the whole wacky community mobilizes to search for them. Leading the way is the Ed Norton character who is sad that Sam's escape from Ivanhoe took place on his own watch; he involves the whole troop in trying to track down the couple. And his hard-assed commanding officer (Harvey Keitel) is really pissed about the whole affair.
Meanwhile, Sam & Suzy draw closer. He turns out to be a great provider of food & shelter. She reads to him from her favorite girl power fantasy books. They experiment with kissing; groping; arousal. And as they relax on their own beachfront 'Moonrise Kingdom', Suzy's kitten quietly observes it all. Their misadventures get interwoven with the efforts of the adults who are looking for them; culminating in one wackadoo climax (including, amid other things, a Social Services representative played by Tilda Swinton, a fire, a flash flood, a lightning storm, a church, and a steeple, haha).
You know, Wes Anderson films are sometimes too quirky, too artificial, and/or too clever for some audiences - so clever, in fact, that the humanity threatens to get leeched out of each of them. But that really doesn't happen here. 'Moonrise Kingdom' is lovingly crafted with an intense attention to detail that is wonderful while, at the same time, displaying affection for its young protagonists, and still staying true to Anderson's quirky aesthetics. It all works here: the bullhorn that Frances McDormand uses to call her children to supper, a hand-crafted beetle earring, a pipe, binoculars, fantasy novels, a squirrel hat, an axe, a bus stop, a tree house wavering atop a tall tree, etc.. I loved it all. I also enjoyed the warm, golden-toned cinematography; creating great nostalgia for the 1960s. As is normal for Anderson movies, the camera tracks shots through walls of rooms to offer a cross-section of where the action transpires.
So overall, I quite liked 'Moonrise Kingdom'. It took me a while to like the kids (which is an issue). But midway through, I finally latched on to the quietly off-beat, almost blase tone of their relationship. Each child possesses distinguishing traits. I like that this innocent "love" story is seen through the eyes of these 12 yr. olds. That affords us the transportative chance to remember our youth, our innocence, & imagine what we would have done in their specific circumstances. And for these kids, in particular, the fact that their close friendship springs from their weirdness, loneliness, & being misunderstood - is a very sweet notion.
Some of the adult characters are more developed than others, but I typically enjoyed them all. I found Bruce Willis and his character arc most effective. There's also a well-written/acted bedroom scene btwn. Bill Murray & Frances McDormand. I liked the narrator of the movie (Bob Balaban), who clues us in to the history & geography of the island. And Tilda Swinton's feisty Social Service rep. goes to show that sometimes ... kids really do deserve their freedom. 'Moonrise Kingdom' is a bit off-kilter, & mostly delivered in a deadpan manner. It looks swell. The music (a blend of Alexander Desplat's score & great prior works) aids the story. And it's just nice to sit back & watch Wes Anderson tackle young romance with a hand on his heart & a tongue firmly planted in his cheek.