“He’s the Zissou.”
-Esteban Du Plantier
The
critical and commercial reception of Wes Anderson’s fourth film, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, was
and is the lowest in his filmography. Many critics disliked it, claiming
generally that it was a classic case of style over substance, something the
grand auteur has often been accused of having in his work. However, the
opinions of this film have improved over time, and along with it, the number of
Anderson’s fans has grown. This has happened with several films throughout the
years, like Darren Aronofsky’s The
Fountain. In cases like these, initial critical disapproval is overcome by
cult fanbases, most notably and possibly in one of the most extreme cases with The Big Lebowski. That 1998 masterpiece
was a box office flop. Many critics had different hopes for the film, as the
Coen brothers had previously directed the critically acclaimed classic American
film, Fargo. The film, however, went
on to attain a gigantic cult following, now hosting a Lebowski fest in several
cities each year. Though The Life Aquatic
doesn’t have near as much of an audience as that great comedy, it is still
hugely imaginative and creative, and is arguable the film that Wes Anderson was
born to make.
In
The Royal Tenenbaums, the style was a
mellower version of Rushmore’s style.
However, here the energy that Rushmore possessed
has returned somewhat, with a new sort of looseness in the camera. Symmetry is
very rarely spotted, and the camera commonly feels rather handheld. Present, of
course, are the well-known panning shots and crash zooms. But with The Life Aquatic, the style feels more
like Wesian (a term I made to make it easier to refer to Wes Anderson’s style)
with a touch of documentary.
The
film also uses some great background action. This is something that Wes
Anderson is known for these days, and this is really the first time it is
notably employed, and possibly the most extreme use. We are able to see
dolphins nosing into a scene in the background, cats playing around, and
members of the Zissou crew participating in rituals from afar (in one scene
near the end, Klaus participates in an odd sort of team huddle from yards
away).
Wes’
writing is one of the greatest advancements of the film, most notably in his
skills with subtle comedy. The Life
Aquatic practically begs to be watched several times. With the speed at
which the lines are delivered and the overpowering style of the film, the humor
that many lines possess may not be caught on first viewing. Some perfect
examples of this are lines like, “We might have them both mixed up or it may be
the other way around…” and this brilliant exchange of dialogue here:
Steve: Happy with the piece, Jane?
Jane: What are you doing in here?
Steve: Am I? No.
Because
of this swift and bullet-paced dialogue, and the fact that I have had the
advantage of having seen the film several times, I often find myself laughing
alone during the film.
With
The Life Aquatic, Wes Anderson’s
imagination goes absolutely wild. He makes up fascinating fish, and crafts a
splendidly eccentric crew. He creates the Belafonte, a ship that is shown cut
in half in one incredibly exploratory scene, so that we can see all of its
rooms and occupants in one brilliant tracking shot. There are stop motion
animation pieces done by Henry Selick, like the Crayon Ponyfish and the Jaguar
Shark. There are also the bits of peculiarity that fill all Wes Anderson films,
like a woman who seems to feel oddly comfortable topless, and a three-legged
dog. This is all excitingly imaginative, with tremendous thought put into
everything, like the made up term, hydrogen psychosis (otherwise known as crazy
eye).
One
of the most fantastic examples of this eccentricity in the film is the score.
It’s truly Mark Mothersbaugh at his creative finest, and most unique, using
Casio music with awesome energy. There’s one amazing scene that starts with the
characters viewing documentary footage that the Zissou crew has shot, and
trying to see which piece of original music fits it best. We hear the amateur
music written by one of the characters, and then as we cut to footage of the
actual film we’re watching, not shot by the Zissou crew but by Anderson, the
music turns slowly into professional expertly composed music with the same
theme. This is an odd sort of breaking of the fourth wall. Also used is David
Bowie’s music, sung in Portuguese by Seu Jorge, and also used in their original
language at the beginning and end of the film, with ‘Life on Mars’ and ‘Queen
Bitch’.
More
excellence is found in Bill Murray’s performance. This is the role that he was
born to play, literally written for him. He fills the role perfectly, with
great energy. With his best role ever, The
Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is Bill Murray’s own film just as it is Wes
Anderson’s. The supporting cast is also terrific. Cate Blanchett, in her only
performance ever for Anderson, does a wonderful job. Owen Wilson acts in a role
that is the exact opposite of typecasting. Out of his comfort zone playing a
character that is humble and kind, he doesn’t show a bit of weakness in his
acting skills.
The
supporting cast is filled to the brim with stars. Matthew Gray Gubler, now
known for Criminal Minds, acts here
in his first role ever. He acts as an intern for Steve Zissou, when he was in fact
Wes Anderson’s actual intern. Michael Gambon is especially excellent and
hilarious, delivering his lines with a certain brilliant nonchalance that fits
perfectly into the Wes Anderson style. Bud Cort is also brilliant, and Willem
Dafoe acts in possibly his most comedic role ever (he normally plays villains).
The
characters played by these actors are all well developed, as are the
relationships explored between them. The greatest of these is the odd
relationship between Ned Plimpton (or Kingsley Zissou) and Steve (or Stevesie).
This relationship is not a simple father-son relationship, it’s a possible
father-possible son relationship, and this complicates things astonishingly.
More complication arises in the fact that both of them are romantically interested
in the same woman, Jane Winslet-Richardson, despite the fact that Steve is
married to Eleanor Zissou. Steve, in spite of his age, is easily the most
immature of the two, as he acts like a child in his relationship with Jane,
best observed in a line which he says to Jane, “Please don’t make fun of me, I
just wanted to flirt with you.” He also takes advantage, selfishly, of Ned
through his supposed relation to him, taking his inherited money from his
mother’s death, and having Ned take his watch shifts so that he can relax in
the sauna.
Other
characters are decently explored as well. Eleanor, “the brains behind Team
Zissou,” acts distant towards Steve, seemingly having lost touch with him. Her
absence throughout the film is part of what gives Steve the feeling of freedom
to go off chasing Jane. Jane has been a fan of Steve since her childhood, but
is disappointed by the actual man. As a journalist, she has a constant
responsibility to write a good and honest article, but the article is
constantly supervised by Steve as he inquires of Jane, “What kind of piece are
you writing, cubby? Are you gonna screw us on this deal?” She is the head of
the ‘love’ triangle that involves Ned and Steve, which she describes as, “so
effed up.” And Klaus Daimler, though nowhere near a main character, is the most
highly defined and developed of the lower crew members. The way he seeks
Steve’s recognition and praise, dislikes the addition of Ned to the crew
initially like a first child dislikes his parents having another child, and the
way that he slowly comes to appreciate Ned are all interesting to watch as well
as hugely amusing at times.
With
The Life Aquatic, Wes Anderson makes
a truly tremendous film. Critics claimed that it was overly stylistic. They
said that it was self-indulgent. These statements, though they have negative
intentions, because they are absolutely right. This is Wes Anderson’s
magnificent self-indulgence, entertaining and wonderfully enjoyable to all who
love the great filmmaker, Wes Anderson. This is the equivalent of what fans of
Tarantino would enjoy about Tarantino making a film that takes place in one
room and is completely constructed out of insane violence and brilliant
dialogue. When an artist with an identifiable specific skill or style completely
indulges that trait and doesn’t care what the critics say, there is a great
form of art. And that is exactly what can be found in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.
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