Moonrise Kingdom (2012) · Posted June 17, 2012
Director: Wes Anderson
Writers: Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola
Stars: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Bob Balaban, Harvey Kietel, and Jason Schwartzman
Moonrise Kingdom is both a charming mediation on love and a heartbreaking tale of how life can affect love. It features many of Wes Anderson’s usual quirks (It’s set in the sixties and centers on an organization known as the “khaki scouts”), but nothing ever feels forced or engineered to make the proceedings more stylistic. The complex costumes and production design actually work in perfect harmony with a group of amazing performances from a talented ensemble to create a tale that will captivate almost any audience. The humor is fast, dry, and often quite clever, and the motivations of all the main players are made clear within minutes of their appearances on screen. It’s a simple story told from refreshing perspectives, and it will leave you with a warm, wholesome feeling. Anderson is known for exploring family dynamics, specifically with regard to the darker aspects of strained relationships. He always manages to take you on a primarily comedic and wonderfully awkward journey, though, and Moonrise Kingdom exemplifies his style in its fully realized form.
From Baby’s First Film Reviews, my earliest writing about movies · More film writing