Moonrise Kingdom
Directed by Wes Anderson
Written by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola
Written by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola
with Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Edward Norton
2012
Moonrise Kingdom is either classic or typical Wes Anderson – delete one of those adjectives in accordance with how much you enjoy his other films. At a boy scout camp on the fictional island of New Penzance, Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman) has disappeared, eloped, in fact, with Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward), a girl he met the previous summer after she captivated him during a production of Noah’s Ark. The Scout Master of the camp (Edward Norton) mobilises the rest of the troop to find them, but the local police force – namely Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis) – has to be called in when it appears that Sam and Suzy will not come back quietly. They are headed for a particular beach that used to be an important site for the local Native Americans, and which becomes the “Moonrise Kingdom” of the title. The stakes are raised when it turns out that Sam, an orphan, has been rejected by his foster home for causing too much trouble, so the problem of what to do with him if he is retrieved takes precedence.
It should be obvious even from this brief description that all the usual Wes Anderson themes are present and correct: dysfunctional relationships, distracted parents, fractured families. His trademark style is in full force here. Slightly ragged special effects and camera trickery provide a fantasy counterweight to the deadpan delivery of mock-dramatic dialogue, and the camera roves around the wilderness of New Penzance in the same way it moved through Steve Zissou’s submarine or along The Darjeeling Ltd. Although in practice the hyper-artificiality of a Wes Anderson film can be a little too cute, I found it engaging in this case: the presence of so many kids gives it an endearing playtime feel which the adult ensemble throw themselves into with good humour.
The cast is great: both kids are charming; Anderson regulars Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman are reliable as ever; Frances McDormand should be an Anderson regular, it makes sense; only Tilda Swinton can be this coldly practical without being antagonistic; and Harvey Keitel has a brief but memorable cameo as a Teddy Roosevelt-esque Scout Master. Top marks go to Norton, who’s charismatic even when he’s being a tool, and Willis, who’s getting funnier as he gets older without surrendering any of his believability as a hero. The likeability of the cast and characters is what sets this film apart from Anderson’s other work for me. Usually the whimsy distorts an emotional distance and a lack of warmth, whereas here there’s a depth to the sweetness that sees everybody end up on the same side and results in a much happier experience.
If you find Anderson’s work generally annoying and saccharine, then I doubt Moonrise Kingdom will do anything to convince you otherwise. I’m not big enough of a fan to properly evaluate the film as an example of his artistic vision; if you’re a true follower then maybe the warmth that I found more appealing will seem like a dilution of what you fell for in the first place. On the other hand, the traditional Wes Anderson style and preoccupations are so visible it almost feels like they were ticked off on a list. It’s always good to see a successful director still managing to project a personality through their films, but there’s a fine line between being auteurist and being formulaic, I suppose.
Tom
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