In Nick Hornby’s About a Boy, main character Will says, “The thing is, a person’s life is like a TV show …”
Or a movie.
And if your life is a movie, how do you know what type it is? How do you know who’s making it
Here’s five ways to tell if you’re in a Wes Anderson film.
1. You are or you see a lot of Bill Murray. He’s been in all of Anderson’s movies except one … where presumably James Caan took his place. So, Bill Murray is a good indicator your life is in the middle of a Wes Anderson plot. (Note: This also holds true if you are or you see a lot of Kumar Pallana.)
2. Your soundtrack has 70s rock-n-Roll or other obscure music. Soundtracks are the thumbprint of movies, and Anderson’s print is distinctive, colorful, out-of-the-ordinary, and a little pretentious … which pretty much reflects his movies. So, if you own Seu Jorge …
3. Your surroundings are bathed in bright, distinctive colors (unless you’re going to make a suicide attempt … then it’s cool colors). If soundtracks are one thumbprint, this is the other. Especially if you wear greens and yellows or a range of reds and oranges.
4. At the end of the day, things go in slow motion. This holds true unless you’re running after a train; then it’s slow motion, followed by regular motion. So, #4 should read “At the end of the day, or in the next-to-last part of the end of the day …”
5. You have a strange relationship with a parent or parental figure. Especially if the strange relationship involves #1.
If more than 3 1/2 of these things describe you, smile, crank up your music, and slow down … you’re life, though crazy, is pretty good fodder for the rest of us.
MSNBC takes a look at the summer indy flicks (including “Away We Go”) and finds the term “twee” to be a common thread in this article. The author blames none other than our man, Wes Anderson for leading the charge here (and Molly Ringwald). He doesn’t necessarily fault Wes for his style:
