Fox Searchlight's 'The Darjeeling Limited' Photo

Darjeeling Limited

Starring: Natalie Portman, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody, Anjelica Huston

Directed by: Wes Anderson

RS: 3.5of 4 Stars Average User Rating: 3.5of 4 Stars

2007 Fox Searchlight Pictures Comedy

The dumb rap against the gifted Wes Anderson is that his comedies (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic) all hit on similar themes of broken dreams and shattered families. Damn him. And damn Hitchcock for his obsession with suspense. And what's with Scorsese and violence? My point is, an artist can spend a satisfying lifetime developing personal themes and deepening their resonance. Sure, they can trip up (see The Life Aquatic). But the Texas-born Anderson, 38, has managed to absorb a vast number of influences, from J.D. Salinger to Francois Truffaut, and forge a style all his own.

The magically compelling Darjeeling Limited strikes me as the fullest blossoming yet of Anderson's talents as a total filmmaker. To render the fable of the three estranged Whitman brothers on a spiritual journey to India, Anderson -- himself the middle child of three brothers -- paints on a broad canvas. But his storybook brush strokes are unmistakable. Francis (Owen Wilson), the eldest, has bullied his brothers into a train trip on the Darjeeling Limited as a bonding adventure. The boys haven't spoken since their dad died in a Manhattan car crash a year ago. (Anderson regular Bill Murray hauntingly evokes the paternal spirit in a mute cameo.) Middle brother Peter (Adrien Brody) annoys Francis by claiming he was Dad's favorite. Young Jack (Jason Schwartzman) is smarting over his ex-love, but he's not above sampling the sweet lime of a hot train attendant (Amara Karan).

It's a setup for knockabout farce, as these privileged, narcotized boys drag their cumbersome Louis Vuitton luggage from stop to stop, oblivious to the wonders of the Rajasthan landscape vividly captured by cinematographer Robert D. Yeoman. But this is an Anderson film, meaning telling details have to be caught on the fly. Catch Peter's wince when he reveals he's about to become a father. Or Jack's desperation when he hacks into his ex's voicemails. Or Francis' head bandages, remnants of his attempt to off himself on his motorcycle. It's impossible not to draw parallels to the recent suicide attempt by Wilson, who collaborated with college-buddy Anderson on the scripts of his first three movies. Wilson had no hand in the Darjeeling script; it's the work of Anderson and their mutual friends Schwartzman and Roman Coppola, but you can't miss the undercurrent of melancholy and pain. I'm not saying that the Marx brothers turn into the Karamazovs. Anderson's touch is too nuanced for that. Powered by evocative cuts from the Kinks, the film uncovers layers of emotion as the brothers confront the mother (a dynamite Anjelica Huston) who abandoned them to become a nun in a Himalayan convent.

All the acting is exemplary. Brody, new to Wes' World, is revelatory as Peter. An intimate encounter with tragedy in a local village leaves him dumbstruck. And that moment of silent reflection about a world outside his own shifts this whirl of a movie into still waters. Wilson skillfully blends humor and heartbreak. And Schwartzman, the iconic Max Fischer in Rushmore, cuts to the bone as Jack wonders if the Whitmans would have been friends if they weren't brothers. Another key to Jack's character can be found in Hotel Chevalier, a thirteen-minute short (inexplicably available only online) that shows Jack and his girlfriend (a harsh, never-hotter Natalie Portman) shacked up in Paris. Like Anderson, Jack is a die-hard Francophile. He listens repeatedly to a Peter Sarstedt song about a lover who asks, "Tell me the thoughts that surround you/I want to look inside your head." Anderson struggles hypnotically with the same impossible goal. In a final train shot of surpassing beauty and sadness, characters hurtle down the same track but in separate cars, still alone inside their heads.

Peter Travers

(Posted: Oct 18, 2007)

Your Turn

Give us your review of
Darjeeling Limited

Review 1 of 6

Not Rated

The Darjeeling Limited 3/10

Three American brothers who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyage across India

Stupid Humor, but I can't lie I laughed at parts

Rating 3/10
www.myspace.com/yohavsmovies

Mar 17, 2008 15:47:37

Review 2 of 6

1of 4 Stars

As a big Wes Anderson fan, this was a huge disappointment. First it's culturally ridiculous. Other than being colonial--India a playground for the questing Americans--there are scenes like when the brothers blow smoke in the face of the Sikh steward. Smoking is a mortal insult to a Sikh, which only makes the boring and spoiled brothers more unlikable. Also, the Indians get lost on a train (translation they are idiots) and a young boy dies so that the brothers can experience a little desert culture. This movie was a waste of effort (though minimal in creating), a waste of time.

Feb 29, 2008 22:25:14

Review 3 of 6

Not Rated

Man, do I hate disagreeing with Peter Travers, but I don't think Darjeeling comes close to being Wes Anderson's best work. Yes, it's compelling. Yes, Wes Anderson continues to skillfully explore the theme of the individual within a family trying to at least cope with, or for some characters, drastically and frantically trying to reverse the course of a family history that continues to poison their prospects for happiness. And Darjeeling is a good movie. My own disappointment comes from my expectation for the sly, smart humor of Rushmore and Royal Tenenbaums, both the product of Anderson collaborations with Owen Wilson. I did go see Darjeeling with the expectation of seeing a comedy, as I did with the Life Aquatic. And both times I have been disappointed with the result, though Darjeeling succeeds in ways Life Aquatic did not. I think Wes Anderson has succeeded best when he has pursued comedy (and when he collaborated with Owen Wilson). He is just better at directing comedies. I will leave you with the following thought: I think Rushmore and Royal Tennebaums are classics, whereas Darjeeling and Life Aquatic are quirky, interesting movies that will not be making anybody's favorites list anytime soon. Nothing wrong with an artist like Anderson working his chops with different material, but he should know his strengths. Nobody suggested to Scorcese that he hang it up after King of Comedy, a funny, quirky little movie, but clearly not his forte. I look forward to Wes Anderson's return to comedy. I am certain he can still give us characters as compelling and hilarious as Max Fisher and Royal Tenenbaum. God, somebody please sign him up to adapt Confederacy of Dunces.

Nov 12, 2007 17:00:43

Review 4 of 6

Not Rated

Nov 12, 2007 17:00:43

Review 5 of 6

2of 4 Stars

First, this is one of those very rare times that I am at odds with PT regarding a review. I am an Owen Wilson fan and that did influence my decision to see the movie as well as PT's review.

I don't believe this was a bad movie, I believe that it did not live up what it could have been. I saw many qualities inherent in fine art movies, however when not pulled together you get gruel. It was tedious, plodding and wore out the sibling rivalry joke much too soon. The filming is excellent and worth a visit on this account (see final comments). The symbolism was obvious and the flashback scene was entered too quickly to be enjoyed. It left you saying "what!" I enjoyed the way that they vicariously dealt with their fathers death.

I just spent far too much time waiting for this movie to get better. The acting was superb, filming excellent, however, if this was rated as a comedy, please don't file it in that catagory because it will be lost for posterity.

I must say that this movie ranks on my rating scale as save it for Netflix and rank it 15 on your Que. I don't believe that this movie deserves your hard earned money as a frist run. Finally, this movie will be in the cut out bin so fast it will make your head spin!

Oct 21, 2007 19:31:01

Review 6 of 6

2of 4 Stars

Check out Reel Geezers latest review...

Two octogenarian film veterans review Wes Anderson's latest
flick
Darjeeling Limited- as always a hilarious and insightful
discussion
ensues…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36USk_TzgDQ

Oct 16, 2007 13:14:27

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