The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Criterion Collection (2004)

In The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, director Wes Anderson takes his familiar stable of actors on a field trip to a fantasy aquarium, complete with stop-motion, candy-striped crabs and rainbow seahorses. And though Anderson does expand his horizons in terms of retro-special effects and a whimsical use of color, fans will otherwise find themselves in well-charted waters. As The Life Aquatic opens, Zissou (Bill Murray), a self-involved, Jacques Cousteau-like filmmaker, has just released a documentary depicting the death of his best friend Esteban, who was eaten by some sort of sea creature--possibly a jaguar shark. Zissou’s troubles also include his waning popularity with the public, and a nemesis (Jeff Goldblum) who hogs up all the grant money. Hope arrives in the form of Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson), an amiable Kentuckian who may be Zissou’s son. Despite his lack of enthusiasm for fatherhood, Zissou welcomes Ned--and Ned in turn saves Zissou’s new documentary (in which he seeks revenge on the jaguar shark) in more ways than one.

One of Wes Anderson’s greatest achievements as a director to date has been launching the autumnal melancholy phase of Bill Murray’s career, starting with Rushmore in 1998, and Murray delivers a similarly comedic yet low-key performance here. Unfortunately, Zissou is one of the few characters in this ensemble to achieve multi-dimensionality. Even co-star Wilson doesn’t get to develop Ned much beyond Noble Southerner, and he ends up seeming more like a prop for illustrating Zissou’s emotional development rather than his own man. The Life Aquatic probably won’t be remembered as a great film, but it is still one that no Anderson (or Murray) fan can afford to miss.--Leah Weathersby Amazon.com

Watching paint dry

This movie is about as exciting as watching paint dry. Its so bad I'd rather work at home on my own nickel than watch this complete waste of film. Save your money. September 1, 2008

Entertaining on one viewing, but perhaps Anderson's most discomforting film yet

Wes Anderson's 2004 film THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU centers on the personal dramas of the title character (Bill Murray), a Cousteau-like oceanographer who feels like he has reached the end of his career. After a jaguar shark kills his partner, Zissou vows to go on one last adventure to hunt it and kill it. As he looks back on his womanizing private life, a young airline pilot (Owen Wilson) approaches him and suggests that Zissou may be his father. This budding father-son relationship unfolds among the struggles of Zissou's crew to reach the last known whereabouts of the shark.

Those who know Wilson's earlier films, especially THE ROYAL TENNENBAUMS of 2000, will recognize many similar themes, actors and humour here. The setting is ostensibly in our own time, but with much retro design. There are complex personal relationships and failed marriages. And the soundtrack is quirky, this time to an even greater degree (Brazilian star Seu Jorge singing David Bowie translated into Portugese and playing the guitar). However, there are some fresh new elements that keep this from being a mere repetition of his earlier comedy/dramas. There's even two shootout scenes, so Anderson certainly can't be hit with charges of making films where people just talk and talk. A delightful visual touch are the fanciful sea creatures (stop-motion puppets, not CGI), and the set design, which makes Zissou's ship Belefonte look real. Finally, whatever else one might thing of the film, the cinematography of the helicopter crash scene deserves great praise for so subtly and gradually informing the viewer that something has gone horribly wrong.

Yet, for its general entertainment on a single viewing, THE LIFE AQUATIC strikes me as Anderson's most uncomfortable film to date. Of everyone here, only Steve Zissou is presented with any sort of depth. Owen Wilson's character is about as vague and featureless as the jaguar shark himself, just one more obstacle thrown in Zissou's path. Bill Murray had already honed this type of grim middle-aged moper many times before, reaching his finest hour with LOST IN TRANSLATION, but here (as well as in BROKEN FLOWERS) he's obviously gotten stuck in a rut as an actor. Klaus, the German first mate, is a lame ethnic cariacture. August 4, 2008

DVD

I like Bill Murry but this movie was a bomb. Good price and fast service.
Will shop again and would recommend to anyone. July 28, 2008

wes's best

I think a lot of people don't get this film at all. I happen to think this is Wes Anderson's best, most fully realized work. It's also one of the hardest films to try and explain to someone who hasn't seen it. For me it succeeds on all levels, narrative, visual and acting. Bill Murray is incredible. After you've watched the film once, turn it on again and watch it without sound. Note Murray's mastery of gesture.

June 25, 2008

Quirky and irresistable

I recently watched this film for the second time (I first saw it when it was initially released on DVD) and I enjoyed it more the second time than I did the first.

The movie has an almost surreal, dream-like quality about it. Many of the sea creatures are stop-motion animated rather than CGI which sort of lends a tongue-in-cheek quality to the whole experience. The music (mostly David Bowie songs, but also a "score" that sounds like it was composed and performed on a $20.00 Casio keyboard - another quirky touch courtesy of Mark Mothersbaugh of "Devo" fame) doesn't really seem to fit into the context of the film, but somehow it just WORKS.

There are many pop (and not so "pop") cultural references and gags throughout the film, but you must keep a sharp eye and ear open for many of them ("Not this one, Klaus" is a phrase that is obviously an homage to Francois Trauffaut's "Jules and Jim" - cute.)

I wouldn't say the film is laugh-out-loud funny, but there are many humorous turns of phrase and a few scenes of physical comedy than put a smile on your face. Bill Murray's deadpan delivery of his lines in fiendish. Zissou is a jerk, but you can't help but love him.

The set for Zissou's boat, the "Bellefonte" (another pop reference to Cousteau's own boat, the "Calypso") is obviously just that; a set. You can see how the actors are walking through doors to get from one room to the next depite the obvious fact that there are no walls on one side of all of the rooms. Another great "surreal" touch.

This movie may not be for everyone due to it's intense quirkiness, but I found it to be very original and a refreshing change of pace from the usual trash Hollywood likes to dish out on a regualr basis.

And, by the way, if Jacques-Yves Cousteau had been alive to see this film, I think he would have found it delightful and been honored by the tribute to him that this film obviously is.

Please give this film a try, but keep an open mind. April 2, 2008

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