Reviews of The Darjeeling Limited

Review of Darjeeling Limited

Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 16 August 2008 09:13 (A review of The Darjeeling Limited)

The Darjeeling Limited, while perhaps not as comedic as The Royal Tenenbaums, manages to attack the subject of family in a light that is both charming and real.

When one brother in the family suffers from a motorcycle accident leaving his face heavily bandaged, it sets off a desire to connect again with his two brothers and take them on a journey to enlightenment in India. Having contacted his considerably depressed siblings, one considering divorce from his pregnant wife, the other obsessed with an ex-girlfriend, they begin on their adventure.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this film is the backdrop of India and the beautiful location; and rather than become enlightened as planned, the characters suffer further into their flawed personalities and fall upon times that are filled with both hilarity and emotion.

I think I enjoyed this film so much because of it's reality. It could have easily become a cliche, hopelessly allowing the family to reailze their flaws on said journey. But Anderson doesn't allow it. He gives us an entirely real picture of a family - siblings who do not altogether get along, and question, if they were not related, would they be friends?

A treat from Anderson not to be missed, The Darjeeling Limited is an altogether enjoyable film that lingers within you for days.

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Reassuringly Different

Posted : 1 year, 5 months ago on 11 June 2008 05:58 (A review of The Darjeeling Limited)

I watched this with my Dad, he was in the back of the line when God handed out brains. I wasn't at the front, but I kicked a few people in the shins and managed to push in half way. Therein lies the key to why I loved this film and my father didn't.

My dad asked some questions throughout the movie, I'm going to address them now and defend the film from the poor reviews, it has received thus far (on Listal).

Who are these guys?

They are three brothers who have recently lost their father. They reunite on the 'Darjeeling Limited', a train travelling through central India. Similar to the characters in 'The Royal Tennabaums', Darjeeling focuses on the lives of the nuevo-rich, a post modern, middle class. Contrary to traditional cinema, Wes Anderson focuses on the down side of being financially comfortable, highlighting the futile search for well-being that occurs after finance and survival are guaranteed.

What's going on?

No flashbacks or over-simplified back stories are used. You have to just pick up from where you are put. I personally love this, it makes it more realistic, also as the dialogue progresses, you gain a better understanding of what is happening and what HAS happened at the same time. Twice the plot development for your money. So smartly written, Darjeeling takes the length of the film to get you up to date on where you were at the beginning. The sense of closure is therefore doubled at the end of the film, *SPOILER ALERT*, despite it having no cut and dry resolution.



Do they even like each other?, are we supposed to like them or what?

In real life people don't rush down dark hallways with ominous music, or swing into places with epic, orchestral tones. In real life we change, adapt and adjust our opinion of individuals, all the time. Another reason why I love this film. Unlike traditional 'hollywood' no binary oppositions are made, and no symbols are used by the director to tell you how to feel. Much like a tabloid newspaper, Hollywood uses big images and emotive words to tell you, 'you must like this character!'. The broadsheet doesn't adopt such methods, it supplies the facts, you make up your mind. It may seem less exciting, and insulting to some, to compare a movie to a broadsheet. I feel however that it gives the viewer some independence, it's strange not to be spoon fed, it may be scary, but ultimately it is emancipating and satisfying.

I don't get it.

Don't try to get it, just sit back and enjoy it. It isn't an overacted piece of cliché drama, it won't be apparent immediately. We've had it drilled into us that films must be hyper-real, hyper fast and formulaic. Even if you have to watch it twice, once to de-programme and again to enjoy, do so!

In conclusion, I cant quite find the words to explain how much I love this film, and what it makes me feel....other than 'happy'. It is typical Wes Anderson stuff. If you liked Tenenbaums and Life Aquatic, you will definitely love this movie. It is slow paced, it is subtle, it is unique and complex yet simple. I could not recommend this enough, but (I cant say this without sounding pretentious), my high recommendation is exclusively to folk of a higher brow.



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Oh The Pain...

Posted : 1 year, 6 months ago on 8 June 2008 09:00 (A review of The Darjeeling Limited)

Talk about painful. This was excruciatingly boring. It may have only been an hour and a half but it felt like it dragged on and on and on for hours upon hours. I feel like I have truly wasted my morning when I could have been doing some thing else, say another form of procrastination, that wasn’t so painful I wanted to scream.
Then there is the fact that apparently this movie is meant to be humorous. Where’s the humour in it? I didn’t come across one small part that was even remotely amusing. If movies were created not for entertainment but for sleep inducement then this would be a masterpiece but alas it was a pathetic attempt at entertainment and a huge waste of my time.

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The Darjeeling Limited review

Posted : 1 year, 11 months ago on 31 December 2007 09:37 (A review of The Darjeeling Limited)

I went to see this with an open mind, I had no idea what I was about to see. I think that was what it needed, if I expected to see something and it didn't have it, I might have been disappointed. But seeing it and not knowing what to expect.. I really enjoyed it. It was fun, enjoyable and an entertaining 91 minutes of my day.

It had my type of humour, so I easily got some laughs out of this. The story is of three brothers (Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman) who try to re-unite their family bonds by going on a trip around India together, on a train called 'The Darjeeling Limited'. As you can imagine, along the way they come across various problems which eventually lead to them appreciating the time they had together and the experiences they have shared. I loved Wes Anderson's directing, the camera views etc. were brilliant.. I should really check out his other films. Some of the jokes in this were just ones you would smile at, while others I could hardly stop laughing. But this isn't all comedy as it may sound like, it's actually an emotional drama movie at the same time.

It was nice to see Owen Wilson do something different (well at least, different from the movies I have seen him in), though the humour was really what you would expect from him. I really liked Adrien Brody's character, and of course he portrayed him extremely well. Jason Schwartzman was also funny, but then again his serious side to the character was great too. Two thumbs up from me to casting them as the main characters! Anjelica Huston was.. pretty much the only actor I dislike in this film. Sorry, she's just one of the few actors I don't like. Bill Murray and Natalie Portman were great for their short roles, it was good to see some actors like them for those characters.

I'd definitely recommend this; it's funny, different, original and compelling.. if you ever get the chance, do yourself a favour and see this unique comedy film.

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