Wes Anderson, despite his success with offbeat comedy, should not be trusted to deliver mass hilarity and belly-laughs. This is not a criticism of him in any way, but it is important to take into consideration when going to see this movie. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but as offbeat as it is, those seeking great comedy may be let down.
The story centers around Steve Zissou, a Jacques Cousteau-like oceanographer whose methods are questionable, and whose career has taken a serious turn for the worse. Over the years his documentaries have fallen out of favor, until the pot-smoking egomaniac finally snapped when his friend Esteban was eaten by the mythical jaguar shark. To top that off, the footage taken from the incident has left some wondering if the whole thing was just a hoax, and Steve's announced revenge voyage to kill the endangered shark has left him out of favor with some of his peers. And with the arrival of Kentucky Air copilot Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson) who may or may not be his biological son, his wife Eleanor, (Angelica Huston) has decided to leave him. A big problem, since she is both the brains and a great deal of the money behind Team Zissou.
So Team Zissou sets out on a series of adventures. They steal technology from his nemesis, Alistair Hennessey (Jeff Goldblum), who is also Eleanor's first husband, and Steve's old roommate. They entertain a British reporter who has gotten pregnant by her boss, and whom both Steve and Ned fancy (Cate Blanchett). Some of the crewmembers mutiny, including all of Steve's slave-like interns, save one. And they take on a band of South Seas pirates who have kidnapped the Company Stooge (Bud Cort).
There are a number of bizarre and original characters. Klaus Daimler as Steve's closest ally, played by Willem Dafoe, offers the most constant laughs in the entire movie. Michael Gambon as his banker, Oseary Drakoulas, who I think is supposed to be gay, is woefully underused. There is the scriptwriter, who is at first inexplicably topless. Pele, one of the crew members, sings David Bowie songs in Portuguese. And listening to Cate Blanchett's perky young reporter talk about the "F'ing airport" as she attempts to clean up her language for her unborn child, is rather entertaining.
The movie is rather awkwardly episodic, and some of the adventures don't quite gel in the story too well. The humor comes more from the behavior and situations, whereas some instances may feel written in like bad jokes. But I still found Bill Murray a powerful force in the movie, playing a character unlike any I recall ever seeing him play. He's a man who doesn't seem to care about anyone's feelings. He's too into himself to care, and so when he finally figures out he's a failure, he almost drags everyone down with him (until he's engaged in combat with bloodthirsty pirates).
This is certainly not for everyone. But if you like Wes Anderson, you should see it probably. At least once.
P.S. A psychedelic underwater scene toward the end is a nice touch.
The story centers around Steve Zissou, a Jacques Cousteau-like oceanographer whose methods are questionable, and whose career has taken a serious turn for the worse. Over the years his documentaries have fallen out of favor, until the pot-smoking egomaniac finally snapped when his friend Esteban was eaten by the mythical jaguar shark. To top that off, the footage taken from the incident has left some wondering if the whole thing was just a hoax, and Steve's announced revenge voyage to kill the endangered shark has left him out of favor with some of his peers. And with the arrival of Kentucky Air copilot Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson) who may or may not be his biological son, his wife Eleanor, (Angelica Huston) has decided to leave him. A big problem, since she is both the brains and a great deal of the money behind Team Zissou.
So Team Zissou sets out on a series of adventures. They steal technology from his nemesis, Alistair Hennessey (Jeff Goldblum), who is also Eleanor's first husband, and Steve's old roommate. They entertain a British reporter who has gotten pregnant by her boss, and whom both Steve and Ned fancy (Cate Blanchett). Some of the crewmembers mutiny, including all of Steve's slave-like interns, save one. And they take on a band of South Seas pirates who have kidnapped the Company Stooge (Bud Cort).
There are a number of bizarre and original characters. Klaus Daimler as Steve's closest ally, played by Willem Dafoe, offers the most constant laughs in the entire movie. Michael Gambon as his banker, Oseary Drakoulas, who I think is supposed to be gay, is woefully underused. There is the scriptwriter, who is at first inexplicably topless. Pele, one of the crew members, sings David Bowie songs in Portuguese. And listening to Cate Blanchett's perky young reporter talk about the "F'ing airport" as she attempts to clean up her language for her unborn child, is rather entertaining.
The movie is rather awkwardly episodic, and some of the adventures don't quite gel in the story too well. The humor comes more from the behavior and situations, whereas some instances may feel written in like bad jokes. But I still found Bill Murray a powerful force in the movie, playing a character unlike any I recall ever seeing him play. He's a man who doesn't seem to care about anyone's feelings. He's too into himself to care, and so when he finally figures out he's a failure, he almost drags everyone down with him (until he's engaged in combat with bloodthirsty pirates).
This is certainly not for everyone. But if you like Wes Anderson, you should see it probably. At least once.
P.S. A psychedelic underwater scene toward the end is a nice touch.