Review: Moonrise Kingdom

Now that the Emmy nominations have been revealed, I finally have a little break to start to focus on the upcoming Oscar season. I thought a perfect way to start was by posting some reviews of films I had seen by had not got the chance to really talk about. The best place to start is with what is probably my favorite film of the first half of 2012 (which you will find out soon enough when I reveal by Halfway Award winners either today or tomorrow!).

Moonrise Kingdom is the story of two twelve year olds, both of whom feel abandoned, one literally through being an orphan, and one through her emotionally dead parents, who decide to run away and meet up on a small New England island in the summer of 1965, and start a new life together in the wilderness. As authorities begin looking for them, and a huge storm brews off the coast, the quiet country island is turned upside down, and these kids find love in the open wilderness, while the adults began to look at themselves in a new light.

Moonrise Kingdom, like most of Wes Anderson's films, is one of the most quirky, original, and best films so far this year. Anderson's camerawork is always unique and well-shot, and gives us looks into a world that few directors have the guts to try. But the angles of the camera aren't the only thing that makes Moonrise Kingdom a signature Wes Anderson film. The quirky cutaways, the eccentric characters, the impeccable script written alongside Roman Coppola and the fact that he only once bows down to Hollywood stereotypes is what separates the film, and Anderson's body of work as a whole, away from the mainstream and into a realm of filmmaking that is always enjoyable as well as mentally stimulating.

The film is also lifted by the magnitude of its performances. While I actually thought that the two leading kids (Kara Hayward and Jared Gilman) could have used a little more depth and life in their characterizations, they both nailed the classic Anderson deadpan, and still were memorable. But it was the adults that really shine, as well as the smart-mouthed members of Sam's scout troop. Bruce Willis and Edward Norton are particular standouts here as a the lonely sheriff and lonely scoutmaster who seem to sympathize with the kids, proving the addage that people never really grow up. Both are talented actors, but its nice to see them take on such sympathetic charaters, and nail them with gusto. Frances McDormand and Bill Murray are fantastic as always, and I would have loved to have seen more of Tilda Swinton and Jason Schwartzman, both of whom are scene stealers in what are essentially cameos.

What I think I liked most of about Moonrise Kingdom however was the warmth and humor that spilled from its frames. Anderson has always been criticized for being so quirky and so different, that he loses any humanity in the process. That is simply not the case this time, as the film, thanks to its wonderful screenplay, is a perfect balance of his signature elements, and of a wonderfully cute love story between two lost souls. My only complaint about the film came at its ending, which seemed too conventional and two tied-up nicely for a film of such eccentricities. But otherwise Moonrise Kingdom is an enjoyable and fun experience filled with excellent performances, a unique vision, and a lot of heart.

Grade: A-

Oscar Potential: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Willis), Best Supporting Actor (Norton and Murray), Best Supporting Actress (McDormand), Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score (Alexandre Desplat)