Review of The Darjeeling Limited (2007) by Ian F — 19 Mar 2012

It's a charming, funny and touching road trip that unites distanced brothers that all have comically massive noses. It's like "Rain Man" without the autistic guy, but with that creepy mouth and speaking tone, Owen Wilson would probably fit the role best. Sorry Owen, but you're not the best looking dude in India (Though certainly not the worst), especially up against Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman, who aren't Ewan McGregor or Jude Law either, but still reasonably handsome blokes. ...Wrestling, rock and roll, steak, motorcycles and Scarlett Johansson! Sorry, but I had to refill my man meter there for a second, because around the time you start judging and comparing that many guys by their looks, you uncover the true meaning of too much security of masculinity, if you even want to call it masculinity at that point. Hey, all I've got to say is that it doesn't matter if you're straight, gay, bi or a sponge, there's no denying that these are some pretty charming leads (Someone out there is thinking, "Yeah, sure it doesn't matter, m'am-I mean, man"). Still, no matter how much our leads bring this film to life, there's always something to land a blow to the picture.

In under 20 minutes, we gather that these are all very distanced brothers, one of which called the reunion after a near-death experience, one of which is a poet and one of which is still in deep grief over the death of his father and is preparing to become a father himself; so, basically, they tell us pretty much everything we need to know, yet the development still faults in the biggest way by not telling us how to feel about what we know. Sure, exposition is out of the way pretty early, so there is some degree of investment in our leads, yet it takes a while for us to really lock in with them, seeing as Wes Anderson's storytelling is fairly dry, and not dry as in quiet. In fact, the constant soundtrack might actually be exacerbating the dryness, because it's so overly atmospheric that, pretty quick, you go through sensory-overload and find yourself back to square one, and if the looseness in the great soundtrack is making matters worse, then one only knows what the looseness in the writing will do. Well, sure enough, there are plenty of points that go on and on and on, with nothing happening but dialogue, and not snappy or deeply dramatic dialogue; I'm talking dialogue that's too realistic, in that you get anything from, "Oh you spit in my eye" to, "Pardon, could you repeat that?", and that's all in the first overlong conversation of the film, alone. Okay, the underwhelmingness and looseness of the dialogue is rarely that serious, yet slowness is constant throughout this film, being brought on by padding, repitition and, around the halfway point, drastic shifts in storyline that, if omitted or, at the very least, died down enough to where the film's dryness dilutes, could have left this film wildly entertaining. However, as it stands, while it's not a fabulous time, this film is still thoroughly enjoyable. It may not satisfy every spirit, but if you're looking for charm and resonance, then you've made the right stop on this film, especially if you like lovely visuals to go with that charm.

I've got to say, even with all of the diseases, desserts, robbers, poverty and unbelievably overlong action movies, India isn't too bad, or at least not when it comes to looking good, because it is an undeniably lush and beautiful place that the production designer really brings to life with a fabulous taste in location. All of the villages visited or even the train itself are so lavish and eye-catching, made more so by Robert Yeoman's flashy, lively and breathtakingly colorful cinematography that, I dare say, is almost enough to evoke the work of the great Robert Richardson at points. There's plenty that's visually captivating about this film, yet something that also grabs your attention is the soundtrack. Sure, the music doesn't grab you nearly as much as the visuals, mostly because it's so constant that, after a while, it only intensifies the dryness of the film, yet, at the same time, it helps keep the film from being disengaging, because the soundtrack is still consistently enjoyable and, sometimes, even supplementary to the resonance of the film, particularly during certain glowing moments where they kick on The Kinks at just the right time to give the film a kind of mediative flare and soul when it needs it most. Moments like those really power the film and make it ultimately rewarding, and yet, although there a moments that are certainly better than other, the film is consistently likable, almost entirely thanks to the our well-cast and very talented leads. The film is, more than anything, a study on family reuinting after years of distance that finds itself exacerbated by tragedy, and in order to sell that, you're going to need some genuine talents to sell that chemistry, and sure enough, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson all nail it with charisma and distinction. These three forces, with subtlety, grace and compelling charm, sell the highs and lows of broken brotherhood on its way to recovery through electric charisma and chemistry that carries the film through all of its dry spells and certainly all of its high notes, making it both an ultimately satisfying experience and fine testament to their acting abilities.

As the train pulls in, you're left wanting a little bit more, as Wes Anderson's dry, slow storytelling, as well as the looseness and storyline inconsistencies in writing dilute the impacting of this should-be wildly fun time, yet through an engagingly stunning visual style and fabulous soundtrack, as well as compelling chemistry and distinctive charisma between leads Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson, "The Darjeeling Limited" is left a still very rewarding entertainer of a ride that's well worth taking at the end of the day.

3/5 - Good.