December 10, 2004
"Steve... Are you here to rescue me...?" The Life Aquatic reviewed
The question on everybody's mind at this point would be "Is it as good as his other movies?" So I'll answer that right off and then get into more detail. It's not his best film, but it's not his worst, and I wasn't disappointed.
What, then, is Aquatic about? Well, fathers and sons, for one thing. That should be at least partially clear from the trailer. This ties into the larger human desire for looking up to people and being looked up to in return. The sense of wanting to look up to people is balanced by wanting to look up to the right people, as well as the nervous that happens when one's role model turns out to be, well, just another guy. The desire for respect is coupled with the desire to deserve that respect, and the anguish of awareness that comes from realizing one's own shortcomings.
It's also about projects and careers, especially ones that are winding down. Steve spends a goodly amount of the picture wondering if it's all been worth it. His best friend is dead, his marriage is on the rocks, he hasn't made a hit documentary in a decade, and some stranger is introducing himself as his son. Sounds like it's time for a little introspection.
Concerning performances, the only one I was really impressed by was Cate Blanchett. Murray and Wilson were good, obviously, but I've seen them do better, especially in Anderson's other films. Murray's performance in Lost in Translation was heartrending, whilst his performance in Aquatic is merely excellent. Willem Defoe is also quite good as a pathologically insecure German. "Thanks. Thanks for... for not picking me."
In The Royal Tennenbaums, Rushmore, and Bottle Rocket, the characters - oddballs, all of them, to be sure - were engaged in activities with which most people living in the US or Europe can identify. The movies are about school, family, art, work, friends, and even if the specifics of the circumstances are different - I've never knocked over a bookstore, contrary to popular belief, and I don't think most the rest of you have either - the majority of the audience can be thinking "I've done something just like that." This isn't quite as clear in The Life Aquatic, and the film is the weaker for it. I didn't experience the same kind of immediate identification with the characters as I did in the previous films, and that had a lot more to do with the over-the-top nature of the plot than the characters themselves. I haven't been a middle-aged manufacturing magnate any more than I've been a middle-aged washed-up oceanographer, but somehow the previous character seemed more real to me.
Though all of Anderson's films contain violence - in the strictest sense, anyway - up until now, the violence therein is the kind that all of us have either already participated in or can reasonably expect to do so sometime in our lives. We've all thrown things at people, or gotten in a minor scuffle with a friend who's pissing us off, and even if we haven't, it's something that could enter the realm of our experience pretty easily. But Aquatic contains Anderson's first forays into what would most properly be considered "combat". We're talking automatic weapons, dynomite, and grenades. But it's all pretty tongue-in-cheek. Anderson is obviously goofing off, and while it's entertaining to watch, seeing him move this direction is a little disappointing. If I want a decent action/adventure flick, I just watched House of Flying Daggers (which is pretty good, in case you were wondering), and that really isn't what I'm looking for in an Anderson film. It's good to see that he isn't so caught up in his own routine that he can't do anything different - stagnation is unpleasant in any director - but the emotional impact of his films is always better served by the quiet scenes than the busy ones. I don't think this is ultimately as effective as much of his previous material, I am glad to him branch out a bit. But Wes, please don't try to make a real action flick. We've got plenty of those already, but no one is doing what you're doing.
Is this a step backward for Anderson? I wouldn't say so. If you're expecting an emotional sucker-punch on the level of Tennenbaums, you're going to be disappointed, but I wasn't entirely expecting that, so I wasn't all that bothered by it. The plot, however, is a lot less coherent than any of his other films, and definitely costs some points. Anderson movies to tend to be a little on the random side, but only as random as life. Aquatic doesn't seem to flow in any particular direction. The relationships do, just as in his other work, but the actual chain of events is kind of weak.
Definitely go see the film when it comes to your area (gotta love NYC). I'm going at least twice more. The music is great - as always - and a lot of David Bowie tracks have been translated into Portugese by Seu Jorge, one of the cast members, and performed by him on solo acoustic guitar. It's unbelievably good. The claymation is also really amusing. So, "Have you found what you're looking for, out here with me? I hope so." Maybe, maybe not, but what we have found is pretty decent.
