Director Wes Anderson’s latest, “Moonrise Kingdom” is typical
Anderson quirky: it’s an adventure, a love story, a Biblical allegory and a
touching discourse on the needs of troubled children, but it’s that very
quirkiness that makes this movie so enjoyable. And Anderson’s recurring theme
of adult cluelessness and the clash between children and those tasked with
taking care of them adds depth to the fairy tale-like plot. Young newcomers
Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward are well suited for their roles, though Hayward
looks older than Gilman. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand play Suzy’s parents,
a pair of lawyers who are disconnected from each other as well as their
children. Bruce Willis is perfect as the low-key, well-meaning sheriff and
Edward Norton is effective as the chain-smoking leader of Sam’s Khaki Scout
troop.
Suzy (Hayward) is a sad-faced girl wearing blue eye shadow,
saddle shoes and a penchant for looking at the world through binoculars. The
coonskin-cap-wearing Sam (Gilman) is an orphan mocked by his peers and cast out
by his foster parents. These two outsiders find each other and fall in love on
the idyllic (and fictional) island of New Penzance. They make a pact to run
away together, setting off a mad search during a hurricane in the summer of
1965. Although they really have
nowhere to go (they live on an island, after all), Suzy and Sam are prepared.
They have camping supplies, plenty of books, a record player and a kitten.
There’s hope that Suzy and Sam won’t grow up to be dissatisfied and disaffected
adults, that they can remain happy forever in this meticulously artificial yet thoroughly
romantic setting, “Moonrise Kingdom.” 6/1/12
2 comments:
This quirky, kookie, crazy comedy has its moments but I'd have to give it 2 1/2 smiles and not recommend.
Finally had my chance to see this movie on the 4th of July. What a better day than "independence Day" -freedom of the mind from all adult hangups and to see the "real world" not through rose colored glasses; but up close and personal through binoculars!
Like it very much for the (of course) underlying message. If the Biblical allegory could not be realized then Moonrise Kingdom would have just been a story with a lot of mixedup characters and a boring plot.
By the way Suzy's French record album of Francoise Hardy, "The Yeh, Yeh Gril" was a"blast from the past" for me since I have still(I think) this album along with my only other French record and that being by the great dame Edith Piaf.
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