The Darjeeling Limited:
Release Date: Sep 28, 2007 (Limited)
Genre: Adventure / Biography / Comedy / Drama
Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody
Director: Wes Anderson
Rated: R for language
Duration: 1hr 31mins
Plot: Following the death of their father three brothers (Wilson, Brody, and Schwartzman) go on a life-altering trip to India.

My Review: Soaked in colors, drenched in characters, splashed with music, and swimming in the artful direction of Wes Anderson “The Darjeeling Limited” is sure to please longtime fans of this director while nearing close enough to mainstream to likely pull in a few newcomers as well. Although I had clearly underestimated the drawing power of Anderson I was still lucky enough to barely squeeze in to a screening of his new film earlier this week and it proved to be well worth the trip. Wes Anderson’s vision of a spiritual journey for three brothers across India carries a familiar theme of its predecessors (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, Life Aquatic) as a story of a dysfunctional family seeking to be reclaimed and reunited.

Launching into the story with a fun intro and a cameo appearance that I was pleased to see (you’ll have to wait and see) we meet up with Wilson, Brody, and Schwartzman aboard the Darjeeling Limited. Wilson has planned this trip across India to remedy his disconnected and dysfunctional fraternal relationship which seems to have splintered following the death of their father. And while there are plenty of adventures both on and off the train the real story in Darjeeling is all about the brothers and their faltering relationship. I was thoroughly impressed with newcomer Adrien Brody as he slid effortlessly into the world of Wes Anderson with a more than convincing role in what I suspect was the middle child of the trio. Brody’s entry bookended by fantastic performances by both Wilson and Schwartzman made for an extremely enjoyable experience on many levels. While these three may look nothing alike it’s their convincing dynamics that allowed me to forget about everything else and completely accept what was before me.

Complimenting the masterfully crafted characters and dialogue is the beautiful surroundings where all aspects seem hand selected and carefully positioned. After just a short time on The Darjeeling Limited you feel ready to tuck in your shoulders as you follow the stars down the narrow hallways and around the tight quarters. Most of the film is spent within these small areas, but the story never feels limited as a result. Eventually the tale moves on past this setting and explores a few new areas before returning to the more familiar in a wonderfully symbolic and satisfying conclusion scene. The end more than justified the means as pieces that were placed about were finally made clear to me, though I should have seen them earlier, for a fitting resolution.

I can’t recommend The Darjeeling Limited strongly enough. This was a wonderful film with great characters and a very entertaining story line. If you’re not familiar with Wes Anderson then The Darjeeling Limited would be a great place to start. I’m looking forward to seeing this again during its wide release and I highly suggest you catch it then as well, you won’t be disappointed.

Thanks to my brother for jumping into a couple of “press only” chairs so we didn’t spend 90 minutes staring up Owen Wilson’s nose from the front row.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars
High Point: Every Wes Anderson tactic is present and accounted for.
Low Point: I don’t think I’ll be traveling to India anytime soon.

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