"That's a nice-a donut."
Friday, May 13, 2005
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is director Wes Anderson's often hilarious tale about a quirky team of oceanographers who are generally more interested in making a hit documentary than in enjoying the wonder and science of the ocean. On the surface, the film is about captain Steve Zissou's (in a fine performance by Bill Murray) quest for revenge on a mythical jaguar shark. See, his old friend and coworker was killed by one - as we see in the opening on-screen documentary. Zissou then gears his team up for part 2 of the documentary in which they try to hunt down the "shark-like fish."
It's not all fun and games though for Team Zissou. Steve's marriage is crumbling, he's having financing issues, is competing with a wealthier and better equipped nemesis (Operation Hennessey), and must deal with a pregnant reporter (Cate Blanchett) and a man from Kentucky who may just be his son (Owen Wilson). Most of the all-star cast is great, though it would have been nice to see more time devoted to the relationship between Zissou and Klaus, the German oddball (played by Willem Dafoe).
Like Anderson's previous pictures (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, and The Royal Tennenbaums), The Life Aquatic is teeming with outrageous characters and exceptional set design. The Team Zissou ship - the Belafonte, which was modified from an old WWII submarine - is meticulously crafted. Of course, some of the things on the Belafonte are quite ridiculous: a sauna, a Swedish masseuse, an editing room (so they can create assembly cuts of the documentaries right on the ship!), and last but not least a man on the team who spends much of the film singing David Bowie tunes... in Portuguese. Also, it is rather dorky, but certainly very funny, how the whole team has a wardrobe full of matching uniforms - topped off by the contrived little red hats. The dialogue, from the script by Anderson and Noah Baumbach, is fantastic. From the weird and wonderful to the suspenseful, and even to tenderness in the time of tragedy, they are able to see the irony and humor in many things that Team Zissou experiences.
Some critics have suggested that the film is just too random weird - wacky just for the sake of it. But that's only part of the truth. Though much of the film is weird and some things just seem out of place (I wasn't crazy about a segment with pirates that takes the film off-course a little), this is also a very compelling story. We see Steve Zissou mature from a man past his prime into a less selfish man who can finally begin to empathize with, and appreciate, his friends, family, and career. And like Anderson's previous pictures, I have a feeling The Life Aquatic will only improve over time as well.
The Verdict: B+.
Michael Bentley 1:31 PM
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