Friday, October 24, 2014

The Grand Budapest Hotel

How to describe The Grand Budapest Hotel? It is not a murder mystery, though there is a murder. It is not a drama, though there are moments of suspense. It is not a comedy, though much of it is grandly absurd. It is not a caper movie, though there is a theft, a hidden message, and a complicated getaway. It is not a period piece, though it takes place in a grand hotel between the world wars. It is not a comedy of manners, though there is quite a bit of interplay between the very rich and the staff. However, we can say that the story is intricate and amusing as we follow M Gustave, concierge of the eponymous hotel, on his outragous adventures with his lobby boy-in-training. The acting is exquisite, with a huge, varied, talented cast, excellent performances by Ralph Fiennes and F Murray Abraham, and stunning supporting work by Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, and Jeff Goldblum. It made for a lovely evening.

No comments:

Post a Comment