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Movie Description
Wes Anderson, the creator of RUSHMORE and THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, offers another quirky, melancholic riff on familial ties and father issues in THE DARJEELING LIMITED. Francis (Owen Wilson) has invited his brothers, Jack (Jason Schwartzman) and Peter (Adrien Brody), to join him on a train trip for a spiritual quest through India. The brothers have been estranged since their father's sudden death, and each is now embroiled in his own personal drama. Jack is being toyed with by his two-timing girlfriend, Peter's wife is about to give birth, and Francis recently survived a car crash that nearly killed him. As the train chugs its way across India, the brothers try to reconnect, but mainly end up arguing and sharing pharmaceuticals. Francis admits that the real reason he lured them there is because he wants them to visit their mother (Anjelica Huston), who is living in a convent in the Himalayas. Peter and Jack are none too pleased with this plan, and immediately want to go home. The trip hits another snag when they are kicked off the train for a series of offenses. Stranded with their mountain of matching luggage, Peter and Jack are now insistent upon leaving. However, they suddenly find themselves brought together by an deadly accident involving some Indian children. The tragedy unites them, and they decide to continue on to their mother. Their visit with her proves revelatory, and they begin their journey homeward free of both their literal and metaphorical baggage.
The film bears all of Anderson's trademark touches--stilted comedic dialogue, blunted emotions, and bizarre set pieces that pay subtle homage to the 1970s. Though the film is a bit quieter and less madcap than his previous work, it is still sure to delight his many fans.
Industry Reviews
"[A] treasure....There is life in it....Part of the pleasure of watching it comes from never knowing quite what will happen next..."
New York Times - A. O. Scott (09/28/2007)
"[T]here's a startling new maturity in DARJEELING, a compassion for the larger world that busts the confines of the filmmaker's miniaturist instincts." -- Grade: B+
Entertainment Weekly - Lisa Schwarzbaum (10/05/2007)
3 stars out of 4 -- "It is a delight to look at, with its vibrant colors, iconic images and exotic setting, and the film has a meandering feel that captures the sense of trekking across India."
USA Today - Claudia Puig (09/28/2007)
3.5 stars out of 4 -- "[M]agically compelling....The fullest blossoming yet of Anderson's talents....All the acting is exemplary."
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers (10/18/2007)
5 stars out of 5 -- "Bold, original and ambitious....Anderson's most sincere and emotionally revealing work yet."
Total Film - Aubrey Day (12/01/2007)
4 stars out of 5 -- "Three stooges antics mingle with subtler silliness, painful life-wisdom, bittersweet vicissitude and his trademark whimsy in this unmistakable Wes Anderson special."
Empire - Angie Errigo (10/19/2007)
4 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t's an amazing trip. DARJEELING hurtles through an idealised India, but it is also an exploration of mood..."
Uncut - Alastair McKay (12/01/2007)
"Wilson, Brody and Schwartzman are like a contemporary, depressive version of the Three Stooges, and there's something inspired about Anderson's decision to cast them as brothers..."
Los Angeles Times - Carina Chocano (10/05/2007)
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