Review of The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) by Nicholas W — 26 Apr 2016

92% of critics raved about this, and 86% of the general public adored it - That's how I know that I am unique. This film was horrible! It had probably the most star studded line up I have ever seen with several cameo appearances, none of which improved what was a truly awful and disjointed story.

I think, and I mean think, that it was a tale about how an old man came into possession of the Grand Budapest hotel, which was through an odd character named Gustave. Both he and Zero (the now owner) formed a tight working bond that led them to be close friends as well as employer and employee, with Gustave promising to bequeath his newly acclaimed fortune providing Zero stuck by him.

He naturally needed Zero's help as he himself was a conman that used women as a means of securing wealth, and the hotel was just a little something he gained using his cunning charm and guile. Throughout the film, Zero is merely an accomplice to Gustave's criminal mind, but is undoubtedly a man of his word, if not somewhat of a freak.

They spend the majority of their time fleeing angry relatives of the deceased woman he recently took advantage of, who have hired hitmen to hunt him down. Despite the fingers being point at Gustave for what looks like an intentional murder, spurred on by the lure of the ensuing will, we never really learn the true nature of her death and as is the case for the vast majority of scenes, there are a lot of questions unanswered, and many actions misunderstood.

I simply didn't get this, didn't find it entertaining, and its success is beyond me. Clearly the A-list of celebrities deployed must have gone some way to gaining this an A-star status because the content is nothing short of woeful.

If I were to see this in a cinema, I would have soon used the opportunity of the dark room for a little shut eye. Maybe this will grow on me when my maturity levels in films increases, but for now it's a very negative recommendation I'm afraid.