Four Anderson Windows....

...Wes Anderson, that is. Over the last few week's I've watched this director's body of work. Here now are some brief impressions:

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, his fourth and most recent film, was the first one I saw. It was quirky, dry, and not for everyone, much like a certain cloaked individual. I enjoyed it a lot, from the magical animated sea life to Bill Murray's trademark delivery to Owen Wilson's very un-”Owen Wilson”-like performance. There was something about the style of the movie, from the camera angles to the mood that piqued my curiosity enough to throw Anderson's previous three films on my Netflix queue. They would NOT arrive in order.

The Royal Tenenbaums, his third film, was the second I saw. Owen Wilson was also part of the ensemble, but the ones who really stood out in this sadly humorous portrait of a dysfunctional family were his brother Luke and the always great Gene Hackman. The movie evoked a lot more emotion that I was expecting based on my recollections of trailers a few years ago, and the poster depicting the colorful cast was deceiving as well. One look at Ben Stiller in a sweatsuit and I was expecting one of his over-the-top characatures. I thought that's what I was getting from him at first, but near the end he brought a tear to my eye in a scene in which he wasn't even speaking.

Next came Bottle Rocket, his debut film. The Wilson brothers were prominently featured in this one as a pair of friends who bumblingly try on a life of crime. At this point I noticed a pattern, and some checking revealed that Owen Wilson not only cowrote Bottle Rocket, but The Royal Tenenbaums as well. It was a side of the actor I hadn't seen in his other roles, though his role in THIS, his first, movie definitely reflected the wacky characters he would go on to play. As with the other films it featured a great soundtrack, some very funny moments, and some very emotional ones. It wasn't as quirky as The Life Aquatic nor as depressing as Tenenbaums, but fell into a comfortable zone of defining this director's style, and I enjoyed it.

Finally, I saw Rushmore, his second film. Rushmore introduced Jason Schwartzman, Nic Cage's cousin, as an unusual leading man. He plays a geek in a private school who's actually not all that smart academically, but very active in extracurricular activities. To some degree I could identify. I too went to a private high school, and struggled to maintain a good average. I managed to stay in the 89-90 range, but only through a lot of effort and a consistent 3-4 hours of homework a night. The teachers said no subject should take more than a half hour to complete and there were six, so anything over three hours was bad. As for extracurricular activities, I was active in the band and one of three kids in the art club. This was a character I could identify with to a certain point, but he went beyond. He was a pathological liar, spreading falsehoods such as his barber father being a brain surgeon, without pausing to think about it. He was also far bolder than I would ever have been at 16, pursuing a romance with an older teacher and, as a result, vying for her affections with Bill Murray. Owen Wilson also cowrote this one, and it has the same gamut of emotions as the other three.

Each movie is similar in style and structure but very, very different in characters, settings and environments. I probably liked Rushmore the least because it was actually hard to sympathize with the main character at times. Despite the areas in which I identified with him, there were many aspects of his personality and decisions that were just obnoxious. I probably liked The Life Aquatic marginally better than The Royal Tenenbaums, and Bottle Rocket then comes in as my third favorite of the four. His next project, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, is based on a novel by Roald Dahl. I can only imagine what strange and familiar world this fifth window will peer into....