This film is much sadder than I thought it would be, but that’s not a bad thing. Director Wes Anderson has tackled wayward father figures in his films RUSHMORE and THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS and returns to the same area again in this movie.
Steve Zissou (Bill Murray, LOST IN TRANSLATION) is a legendary marine documentarian, who hasn’t been working in top form for quite some time. He’s depressed with his diminishing status and morose over the recent death of his longtime partner and best friend Esteban du Plantier (Seymour Cassel, DICK TRACY). Then Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson, BOTTLE ROCKET) comes into his life and claims to be his son. Steve takes to Ned quickly, because it brings back to his life some of the adoration that he misses.
So Steve sets up his next exhibition to find the giant jaguar shark who ate his best friend and kill it. He invites Ned to join the crew, which greatly upsets his longtime collaborator Klaus Daimler (Willem Dafoe, THE ENGLISH PATIENT), who idolizes Steve. Adding insult to injury, Steve’s wife Eleanor (Anjelica Huston, THE WITCHES) leaves him and goes to stay at the house of her ex and Steve’s chief rival Alistair Hennessey (Jeff Goldblum, THE FLY). As well, reporter Jane Winslett-Richardson (Cate Blanchett, THE AVIATOR) has come along on the mission and plans to write a hard-hitting piece about the real Steve Zissou. Additionally, Steve’s producer Oseary Drakoulias (Michael Gambon, GOSFORD PARK) cannot find financing and when money does come the production is strapped with bond company stooge Bill Ubell (Bud Cort, HAROLD & MAUDE).
First off, any movie with Bud Cort has big plus points in my book anyway. The film is visually whimsical and the creatures created by animator Henry Selick (JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH) are colorful and fanciful, which counterbalances the tone of the film. The humor is quite droll and often plays off the egotistical nature of Steve’s personality. Some have had a problem with the film because Steve is so cantankerous that he is hard to like, but I think the fact that he’s a fat head that does not really like himself allows us to hope that he comes around, especially when Ned and Klaus look up to him so much.
The film is bittersweet and it fits the nature of Steve as a character. Only heartbreak will teach this jerk that he’s a jerk. This is a refreshingly original dark comedy that surprises its audience along the way.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
