Wes Anderson's quirky films deal with the strains that occur in close relationships (or better, relationship that are supposed to be close). Here he deals with three brothers who have grown apart since the death of their father. They come together to find enlightenment through a meandering journey in India. The trip in this character study is not really the point.
Francis Whitman (Owen Wilson, BOTTLE ROCKET) is the eldest of the three brothers and organizer of the trip. He has his assistant Brendan (Wallace Wolodarsky, SEEING OTHER PEOPLE) en tow printing out daily itineraries and laminating them with the laminating machine he has en tow. His head is in bandages due to a recent motorcycle accident, which caused him nasty bruises and the desire to find enlightenment. En tow on his spiritual journey he has his brothers Peter (Adrien Brody, THE PIANIST) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman, RUSHMORE). Peter is in a bad marriage, which has gotten more frightening now that his wife revealed she is pregnant. Jack is a writer who calls his ex-girlfriend's house to spy on her answering machine.
The brothers' trip is on the Darjeeling Limited, a surreal train that looks very Indian. The exotic locale provides the right kind of new-age-vague spirituality that these characters would seek. The three like indulging in Francis' painkillers and grand symbolic rituals, which they can't seem to get right. Jack presents a key statement that underlines the relationship between the brothers — he wonders if they'd be friends if they weren't brothers.
They fight like brothers, arguing over issues that they must have been arguing over since birth. The journey allows us to peek into their dynamic together, as well as their singular personalities. Francis is a control freak who is also impulsive, a frustrating combination. Peter seems to be struggling with his father's death the most, wearing his dad's prescription sunglasses despite not needing glasses. Jack has a way with women, hooking up with the pretty train steward Rita (Amara Karan), who looks very Indian, but acts very un-Indian. He likes to claim that his stories are works of fiction even when they are clearly based on the people in his life. Like siblings, little team-ups between the trio form and secrets never remain so for too long. Close to the end of their journey, they run into their mother Patricia (Anjelica Huston, THE ROYAL TENEBAUMS), who left the boys when they were young and currently serves as a nun. Meeting her explains a lot about the brothers.
Anderson's off-kilter wit and whimsy flood over this film. Sometimes his style can be off-putting, but one thing he always gets right is the dynamic between close characters. These brothers feel like brothers. Wilson, Brody and Schwartzman together are a stroke of genius. They don't just feel like brothers, but feel like these unique flawed brothers. Along this trip the brothers cart along the Louis Vuitton luggage they inherited from their father. The baggage gets abandoned at one point. That's the point.
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Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
