Hipster director Wes Anderson is back with “Moonrise Kingdom,” his follow up to 2009’s “The Fantastic Mr. Fox.” Anderson co-wrote the story with Roman Coppola (they previously wrote “The Darjeeling Limited), in which two 12-year-olds fall in love in 1965 and run away together into the wilderness as authorities search for them.
Newcomers Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward play the roles of star-crossed 12-year-olds, Sam Shakusky and Suzy Bishop, and they give terrific performances. These aren’t regular kids, these are kids seen through a Wes Anderson filter.
Sam is an orphaned kid, disliked by both his foster brothers and his fellow kaki scouts. Suzy is a misunderstood girl, who lives in a lighthouse with her three younger brothers and parents (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand). The two meet and begin writing each other, soon hatching a plan to run away together into the great unknown. Scout Master Ward (a wonderful Edward Norton) soon realizes that Sam has “flown the coup,” enlists the help of police captain Sharp (an out of character Bruce Willis, but great none the less) and forms a search party made up of the kids from the scout troop, who are out for blood. Along the way, we are treated to performances from Tilda Swinton as Social Services (no really, that’s her name in this), Jason Schwartzmen as Ben, a scheming con-artist of a camp counselor, and Harvey Keitel as Commander Pierce.
I can’t give enough credit to Wed Anderson for his work here. If you’re not a fan of his, this isn’t going to win you over. If you are a fan of his work however, like me, you will find this endearing and charming without ever being cutesy or mushy. From the opening shot to the closing credits, there is always something wildly entertaining going on in each frame, be it the subtle look on a character’s face, or the wonderful narration of Bob Balaban. There are a few parts where the pacing does drag a tad but overall the film works wonders.
If you want to a see a film that is hilariously heartfelt, where you may find yourself smiling frequently throughout, then this film is for you. If that doesn’t sound like your type of movie, go see “Battleship” instead. The choice is yours, but choose wisely.
Score: 4/5