A huge improvement over Life Aquatic and a return to real emotional
content and more straight-forward filmmaking. Wes gets accused of
making one movie again and again but I dont think that is actually
true. He has a signature style and works from similar subject matter
and themes but the films all have lives of their own. The new
location works to his benefit as he has a whole new palette to build
from and it provides an air of authenticity that is often missing in
much of his work. Without the iPod (which is a nice touch) you'd
never know exactly what time period this is (could be any time from
1960 on) and that in itself gives it the classic feel that he's always reaching for. The performances are surprisingly good, understated and engaging. Working within his framework all actors somehow become Wes Anderson characters no matter what preconception you had of them coming in and that's a rare tribute to his writing and direction.

Overall it's a heartfelt film that is never overly sentimental and
retains a feeling of innocence despite the introduction of some darker elements, which of course he references but never shows. A highlycreative, mature film from one of my favorite directors.