Wes Anderson

What is his best film?

The Royal Tenenbaums

Do you mean “What is your best film?” ? I haven’t seen him on this board, do you know for sure that he will answer this? Anyways I want to make movies too, like fifty films (I really want to make as many as I can but a body of work must contain at least fifty works to be a “body” of work) Anyways, I don’t think the point of making movies is to try and see what one is going to be the best because it is a big waste of energy (that’s time, money, direction from cast and crew, etc.) I don’t know how much money it costs Wes to make some of his movies, but its a lot I bet.

Bottle Rocket

The Darjeeling Limited

(already questioning my response) er… Bottle Rocket.

Favorite is Life Aquatic, but best is Rushmore or Darjeeling in my opinion….I just can’t make a decision

Boy, looking at these posts it sure looks as though each of Anderson’s films strikes a chord with viewers. I’ll second Tenenbaums. I had a hard time choosing between Tanenbaums and Rushmore, but after pondering it over, I guess Tanenbaums is the most ambitious and memorable.

Royal Tenenbaums. Darjeeling Limited if on mute.

I agree with the Royal Tenenbaums, Wes Anersons expression of death is so beautiful and delicate. Also i would agree that DL would make a good silent film but i think its wonderful as is. The soundtracks to his films are amazing as well.

Rushmore. I am 100% certain. It is a perfect film.

I’ll champion Darjeeling Limited. I love all of WA’s films, and it was Royal Tenenbaums that got me excited about film in the first place, but I felt the most satisfied after his latest film. Life Aquatic’s pretty good too. Early this week, for some reason, I found myself thinking about the scene where Willem Defoe asks Bill not to say anything to other guys. Genius.

Royal Tenenbaums easily. I didn’t like Darjeeling Ltd at all. Never once believed these three were brothers. Plus Anderson needs to lose Schwartzman whose acting is beginning to be annoying.

Well hate to be the hater here but none. The guy’s trying too hard.

How exactly does one try too hard?
Please, I’d like to know.
It’s not like Anderson is ripping off anyone else’s style. You can spot a movie of his from a mile away.
So tell me. In a world full of lazy filmmakers, how does one try too hard?
It’s his vision. He’s consistant. I love him, but just because you don’t doesn’t mean he’s flawed.
Or if he is flawed in your book, why not site a specific flaw rather than just claiming that he is “trying too hard”.

Response to Matthew: No i mean wahat is Wes Anderson’s best film. I guess i could’ve made that a little more clear. Maybe I’d like to make fifty films, but I just want every film I make to be viewed as great (which I know is far fetched) so maybe i’d only have made a dozen by the time I’ve left.

Royal Tenebaum’s, but I’m not that impressed with his career on the whole.

My favorite is Bottle Rocket since it is a movie I can see watching at 2 am if it were running on Comedy Central and I would watch it since there’s nothing else on. But that’s pretty much the extent of me watching a Wes Anderson movie, or at least having any desire to watch one. BR is a movie I can drift in and out of so it won’t matter if I fall asleep during it and miss half.

I think it’s interesting that Tenenbaums is considered his best. I think Darjeeling is actually his most main stream in terms of humor. I think Life Aquatic is genius and far too criticized. I mean it’s a Wes Anderson action movie. Brilliant! Bottle Rocket feels highly organic, like he gave birth to it without an epidural (terrible analogy I know, but you get it). And Rushmore is my Rushmore. For a kid who goes to Catholic school, it doesn’t get much more relatable than Rushmore or The Catcher in the Rye. Wes Anderson said himself that if he was 15 and saw Rushmore, he knew it would be his movie. I love Tenenbaums, but it’s dark. That’s why I am surprised it is so much more well known than his others. Just saying.

JP – My thoughts exactly.

If I had to pick one it would be… a tie between Life Aquatic and Rushmore.

I love all of his films including Bottle Rocket and Rushmore, but my favorite might be The Life Aquatic although it was the most criticized of all of his features.

Rushmore so far.

Agreed about Life Aquatic, with Royal T a close second.

Rushmore is his best film by far and he has been offering diminishing returns since.

I think Rushmore is great fun and wonderfully done. But it doesn’t hit you in the gut – or at least nudge you there – in the way that Royal Ten, Life Aquatic and Bottle Rocket do. And it doesn’t try to. The other films are more emotionally ambitious and, to me, more satisfying.

Plus, his visual style has truly flourished. There are few filmmakers working today with such a distinctive, know it from the frame one, style.

im going to have to say the life aquatic.

The Royal Tenenbaums. Maybe because it’s the closest to J. D. Salinger’s fictional Glass family.

1. Bottle Rocket (96)
2. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
3. Rushmore
4. The Royal Tenenbaums
5. Bottle Rocket (94)
6. Hotel Chevalier
7. The Darjeeling Limited

Today,

Rushmore.

Its weird to see him slated so much.
I think he’s a true original.
I love how cluttered and perfect and beautiful his frames are.
Its hard being the only person in a cinema laughing when Hackman gets stabbed in the Royal Tennenbaums.