R, 100 minutes

Starring- Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Adrien Brody

5/5 Stars

          Any fan of director Wes Anderson, and simply fans of quirky, fun, zany movies will adore The Grand Budapest Hotel. In the movie, Ralph Fiennes stars as a concierge name Gustave H., who is loved by all (especially old, wealthy woman in particular) and admired by the tales narrator, a lobby boy named Zero (Abraham as old Zero and Tony Revolori as young Zero). Together Gustave and Zero embark on a turbulent adventure throughout Europe to prove Gustave’s innocence in a murder of one of the old, wealthy woman.

This is by far the zaniest and most eccentric Wes Anderson film to date, and that is saying something. Having been myself an admirer for Anderson’s quirky movies, such films including 2012’s Moonrise Kingdom and 2001’s The Royal Tennanbaums, I have nothing but praise for his latest Indie style film. Anderson has single handedly coordinated one of the most impressive film casts in recent memory and even more outstanding is that not a single cast member feels out of place or lame in their performance. All are genuinely acting to their utmost and seem to be having a jolly good time doing it!

But of the enormous and wonderful cast, it is single handedly Fiennes himself who makes the movie an altogether enduring piece of mastery filmmaking. Yes my friends, Lord Voldemort is wickedly hilarious. What additionally makes Budapest all the more wonderful a film is the strong script that is filled with delicious dry humor while having sincerity and heart to boot. The direction of Anderson is flawless and creates a joyous kaleidoscope effect through the movie creating a work of art in film form.

With its, dare I say, imposing cast (which consists of 19 Oscar nominations for the cast and four wins), beautiful rendering of cinematography and kooky direction, Budapest proves to not only be the best work to date by Wes Anderson, but also the first truly exemplary film of 2014. The Grand Budapest Hotel is grand indeed.