The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Starring: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum
Directed by: Wes Anderson
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
2004

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Underwater filmmaker Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) is crushed after his best friend is eaten by a rare jaguar shark. He is determined to hunt the creature down and kill it. He travels for this purpose with his newly discovered son (Owen Wilson), his estranged wife (Anjelica Huston), and a reporter (Cate Blanchett) doing an story on him.

Review:

Tim: I seriously don't get Wes Anderson. This is yet another film that I found unfunny (although there were definitely moments where I laughed). His large cast of wacky characters simply does not impress me. While I'm usually mildly entertained (as I was with this one, too), I'm not especially enthralled.

This film has a very interesting feel to it. It is about an oceanographer and his team filming documentaries. The marine life is all depicted in a surreal and strange manner. It adds a new flavor to the film.

Bill Murray is spectacular as Steve Zissou. This is one of his absolute best Wes Anderson film performances. Owen Wilson is decent but can't hold a candle up to Murray. Willem Dafoe is surprisingly hilarious. I'm so used to him playing creepy characters that this comedic role is refreshingly different.

Like most of Anderson's movies, I'll make my similar recommendation. If you love his films, watch it. If not, you should still find a few thins to laugh about and melt away a few hours of your day. The best part of the film is watching a large cast of good actors all interacting well together. If nothing else, watch it because it is completely differen from most films.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Rushmore, The Royal Tennenbaums, Bottle Rocket