The Darjeeling Limited (Movie Review)

If you like Wes Anderson movies, you'll probably like The Darjeeling Limited (2007) well enough.

If you're neutral towards Anderson, you might want to give it a chance.

And if you hate 'em. Well. You'll probably hate this one too.

I thought it was decent enough — better than The Life Aquatic (2004) but not as good as The Royal Tennebaums (2001). But because Anderson so often focuses on characters who live beyond the means of the average American, it is sometimes difficult to relate to his protagonists — though they do often seem to be on a downward trend, a la the South after the Civil War.

And that's the case with The Darjeeling Limited as well. It's about three brothers re-uniting in India a year after the death of their father. They're quirky and dysfunctional — as is the case with all of Anderson's families — with a lust for life that's contrasted by the personal and familial history they desperately long to overcome.

And though their adventures and limitless disposable income are difficult to relate to, their particular struggles are not. The physical loss of one parent; the emotional loss of another. Their attempts to remain close with one another despite very different paths in life. Etc.

Overall, a decent tragi-comedy that — though still quirky — isn't quite as overdone as some of Anderson's other films.

FINAL GRADE: B