Movie Review: The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) - written and directed by Wes Anderson
A narration inside a narration inside a narration inside a narration about the adventures of M. Gustave H. and his lobby boy/protégé Zero as they run a legendary hotel between the wars in a forgotten country while simultaneously finding themselves caught up in the middle of a conspiracy.

I might as well just name this post: true movie comedies. If I were to say movie comedy to you, you'd probably think of a movie like Mean Girls, Bridesmaids, or the Hangover, but the Grand Budapest Hotel defined for me what a true movie comedy should be. It set the bar extremely high, and I expect all other comedies to rise to its level of excellence. There are some key differences between a comedic movie and a true movie comedy, and the Grand Budapest Hotel showed all of these.

First, it wasn't petty. There weren't ten sex scenes or hundreds of "F" words, but instead, Wes Anderson found a sort of moderation that worked for the style of the movie. It wasn't something I felt sick watching, and almost all of the language that was present was used in a way at which I could not help but laugh. Meaningless curse words are petty, but strategically placed curse words can be very funny if used correctly.

Second, there was much more at play and involved with the comedy than just the writing. Anyone can write a couple clever jokes, and sometimes movies are based solely around some clever writers...but comedies should deserve more. One of the main things that stuck out to me was the cinematography. The fisheye lens, the still, stiff-neck shots, and their length all made it feel like its own genre. Along with some of the shots, the beautiful color schemes made this "forgotten country" seem otherworldly. I must admit I do love it when movies are set in a world we know but bear hints of a different world altogether. I couldn't help but laugh at some of the shots, color schemes, and costumes in general because they were so intricate. Not many comedies take this much time to perfect work on aspects of the film that only few will notice. It wasn't just clever in writing, but all the aspects of film came together to tell this outrageous story. Even the lighting made me laugh at moments.

Third, the actors knew what they were doing. If there is anything that annoys me more than comedy actors, it's probably malls closing at six in Texas. There is a drastic difference between an actor who is trying to be funny and one who is completely immersed in the story. One is doing something over-the-top to get you to laugh while the other is doing what the character would do. Usually, we find comedy in other peoples' misfortunes (USA #1) so we as an audience can especially notice when an actor is trying to be funny in a sad situation or when an actor is actually present in this situation. The same even goes with stand-up comedians. One will make jokes and listen for the level of the laugh while the other will tell a funny story and get so caught up in it along with the audience.
Thankfully, the cast of this movie were actors who knew what they were doing. God bless you, Ralph Fiennes. If there is anyone that should be cast in a comedy role, it's men who do Shakespeare because you can be sure that they know timing down to a tee. And comedy is all about timing. He was a brilliant lead who completely believed every word he said along with an eccentric cast of actors including Willem Dafoe, Adrien Brody, Mathieu Amalric, Edward Norton etc. Each of these actors were so serious about the situation that it came off as hilarious (as it was intended). That's comedy.

The actual raw written comedy (as handled by the actors) was so vast that it surprised me. Usually a movie is labeled as a slapstick, a parody, or an advanced comedy, but this movie seemed to appeal to everyone. A cat's being thrown out a window one second (slapstick), then a joke is made in the background that some will only catch if they see it a second time (advanced). It wasn't just one style of comedy. When I saw it, at least every person in the theatre was laughing at one time or another because of their specific humor tastes. This movie appealed to all of them.

So, to sum up, this unique movie had all types of comedy that stretched into even the cinematography, lightning, and costumes, the actors were brilliant, it was good-quality, not petty, and had its own specific style. So I say you should definitely go see it, preferably with a friend so you can laugh harder.

"But why should I listen to you? You're just a college kid."
You're the one who's reading this blog.