CS Daily Archive > Weekend Read > 12/10/04

Floating on a Sea of Hilarity

By jeff goldsmith

Co-writer/director Wes Anderson and co-writer Noah Baumbach dive into a heck of a tale imbued with revenge, comedy, and a wee bit of tragedy causing one to ultimately surface with the feeling that they've been taken on a wild and emotional ride.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Wes Anderson (also directed), Noah Baumbach

When a mythical shark kills Steve Zissou's best friend, Zissou (Bill Murray) vows to take revenge against the shark. Thus, like any classic adventure film, a crack team is assembled for the mission, which includes Zissou's floating documentary film crew (Willem Dafoe), a slew of nameless interns, and possibly his long lost son (Owen Wilson). The central question presents itself early on as to who will ultimately win the final battle: Zissou or the shark? It's a good question, but the film takes us on such a wild ride that at many points we forget about the shark -- which isn't at all a bad thing.

This film is on par with what you've come to expect from Wes Anderson: a colorful cast; top-notch props, sets, and costumes; and a slew of silly concepts. Anderson co-wrote this film with Noah Baumbach, who has such a solid grasp of Anderson's comedic sensibilities that their co-authorship remains very organic. They've created a character-driven tale and built such a rich world around these characters that it really doesn't matter when our heroes (so to speak) forget to hunt for the shark. This is an ensemble where you enjoy the distractions as much as the main story; some of the film's grander moments come from the story's periphery, unrelated to the central shark- hunting plot. Structurally, one of the more amusing things Anderson and Baumbach did was to intersperse titles throughout the film, making it feel like you're watching one of Zissou's documentaries (or the film that is shown to a film festival audience by the end of the tale).

The greatest flaw of the film -- and it's a pretty small one -- is that there are a few places where tonality is an issue. Anderson's work has always walked the thin line of comedy and drama (most expertly in Rushmore), with his work taking a darker turn with The Royal Tenenbaums where the comedy was sometimes overshadowed by bouts of manic depression, botched violent suicide attempts, and slaughtered family pets. Life Aquatic again displays that pathos-comedy mix, occasionally darting back and forth from highbrow comedy to dark onscreen violence. As Anderson's work continues to evolve it seems like this mixed-tonality will continue to be a part of his style.

The film features the same brief, crisp jewels of dialogue we've come to expect from Anderson along with the offbeat characters that both he and co-writer Baumbach capture so well. They worked well together to paint a strange and silly world for their characters to populate while at the same time maintaining a sense of the loneliness that many sea pictures are imbued with.

There's a love for the world Anderson and Baumbach have created in nearly every frame of this fun film, and the few minor tonality flaws sink out of sight as quickly as they appear. The co-writers have created an original ensemble infused with more than enough quirky characters, amusing dialogue, and well-written, hilarious scenarios to make you glad you took the trip.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Buena Vista Pictures
Rated R; 118 min.

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Jeff Goldsmith is a regular columnist for Creative Screenwriting magazine and serves as the Los Angeles Events Coordinator in charge of the Creative Screenwriting screening series.

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