From Richard Brody’s New Yorker blog, where he ranked TDL the second best film of the 00s:
As ever with the films of Wes Anderson—the best new American director of the last twenty years—love and death, comedy and tragedy, comfort and adventure, understanding and opacity, style and substance fuse in a modernism of personal and reflexive cinema and a classicism of grand and subtle literary emotion.
I’ll accept the charges laid against The Life Aquatic by the reigning critical establishment (though I do wonder how much a part the film’s budget played in their thinking): it’s one of the funniest films I’ve ever seen, but, for me, as for a lot of critics, emotionally speaking its reach exceeded its grasp by too wide a margin.
Darjeeling, however, got a raw deal. Most critics, when they considered it, seemed either to still be reviewing Life Aquatic, or were reviewing Wes Anderson, rather than the film itself.
And, in the meantime (I know I’ve said this before, but here it is, one more time) Juno and Little Miss Sunshine–two films that literally would not have existed if not for Wes Anderson’s oeuvre–win Academy Awards.
I wouldn’t bet on it, but I’d hope Darjeeling’s reputation finds better and more positive traction over time.
FINALLY! Somebody agrees with me that The Darjeeling Limited is a classic! I loved this movie from top to bottom like it was wife!
He can say what he wants, but this film was SO dull, and I’m a huge fan of Wes. It’s the only one I didn’t want to watch more than once.
To me, this is how it is:
BR= him starting, not enough money, not enough freedom.
Rushmore = Getting some freedom but not complete freedom.
TRT= His acclaim showing so they give him a little rope.
TLA= Freedom! Pure Wes Goodness and he gets everything he wants.
TDL= Constraint from fox searchlight. Treating him like a petty indie director who doesn’t matter. Forcing him to limit and shutter his movie.
Wow, Richard Brody really hasn’t watched many films over the last decade. First off, Cassandra’s dream shouldn’t be in that list at all, I’m a Woody Allen fan but that film was god awful. Furthermore – knocked up?!?
“TDL= Constraint from fox searchlight. Treating him like a petty indie director who doesn’t matter. Forcing him to limit and shutter his movie.”
Is there any evidence whatever to support this?
The fact that it was in limited release all across the country and other small clues tipped me off. I’ve seen this many, many times from fox. They treat everyone like this and they acted like Wes was no exception. He shouldn’t settle for Fox Searchlight he should go to the main Fox distribution center.