With The Grand Budapest Hotel receiving a lot of attention lately, we thought we’d have a look at Wes Anderson’s previous offering, Moonrise Kingdom.
It’s not unusual for screenwriters and directors to have a cast they like to stick with and jumble up from film to film, and the one constant in every Wes Anderson movie is Bill Murray. Add Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, Jason Swartzman, Frances McDormand and Bob Balaban, and you know you’re in for a real treat. Interestingly enough, this is also Anderson’s first movie without his usual collaborator, Owen Wilson.
Set in 1965, Moonrise Kingdom follows Sam and Suzy - two kids who don’t seem to fit in and fall in love and run away together. As they live on an island, they can’t get very far, but with a big storm approaching the whole island – scouts, police, parents and Social Services, are out to find them and separate them.
In true Wes Anderson style, the movie endearingly feels almost like a quirky hipster stage play, broken into acts and with deadpan narration. His movies are never too heavy although always thoroughly enjoyable and, at less than 90mins long, we think Moonrise Kingdom makes a great mid-week movie.
