Simply A Masterpiece

Fresh and Exciting

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

This Wes Anderson movie is very quirky but fans of Wes Anderson will not be disappointed. The movie is part a loving parody of Jacques Cousteau, part character study, with a lot of wit and understated acting. Beautifully shot, it is more complex and straightforward than some other Anderson movies, but still has a mesmerizing effect and grows on you upon repeated viewings. Justifiably a cult classic, it is perhaps not the best of Wes Anderson movies, but it is not the worst either, despite unjustly being panned by critics. If you have a functioning brain, give it a try.

I saw this movie with my family and even though it was a colorful Wes Anderson film, it was kind of boring. The only one that finished the movie was my dad, who just did it to have seen it. I was in shock after I found out it had such good reviews, and I think its worth it to watch it again if you don't like it. Either its very good or very bad.

Indie filmmaker darling Wes Anderson tackles a hilarious at-sea journey in this film that parodies the famous Jacques Cousteau and his oceanography legacy. However we have an Anderson-style Cousteau in the titular Steve Zissou (Anderson regular Bill Murray) who is out to find an exotic shark that ate his long-term friend and colleague. Murray brings his trademark dry wit to the role of Steve, quipping stinging one-liners with some crude but gut-busting humor. The actor also brings an old-world weariness as his character has to face the fact that not everyone thinks Steve Zissou is a wonderful person. His chemistry with the film's other eccentric personalities make for the film's best humor as they clash and bond in endearing yet occasionally misguided ways. Joining Bill Murray's title character are an eclectic bunch of supporting players within the director's wheelhouse. From Steve's right-handed German engineer Klaus, played in almost cartoonish fashion by the incomparable Willem Dafoe (Dafoe's accent alone is amusing), the subdued Noah Taylor as the crew's navigator, Angelica Huston as Steve's intelligent and put-upon wife Eleanor, Cate Blanchett as a sassy reporter stuck with the Zissou crew to cover Steve's voyage for the jaguar shark and Owen Wilson as airline pilot and possible son to Bill Murray's Steve all make up an endearing set of characters who makes us laugh and cry at all the right moments.The film's humor is trademark for a Wes Anderson film as the director enjoys tackling family dynamics. The director never actually confirms whether Owen Wilson's Ned really is Steve's son, but instead gives us bonding moments that tug at our heart-strings and the scenes where Steve and Ned disagree make us shake our heads at how childish the men can act but also evoke awkward laughs. So of the film's funniest moments come from the constant clashes between Owen Wilson's Ned and Willem Dafoe's Klaus as the two actors behave like squabbling siblings until their touching final exchange before tragedy befalls the crew. Another boon for the film is the director's musical choice of David Bowie songs which for the quirky comedy are beyond fitting. Actor Seu Jorge covers every Bowie in his native Portuguese (Bowie's own voice is only used twice for "Life on Mars?" early in the film and for "Queen Bitch" during the final credits) which brings a fun depth to the legendary rock star's whimsical lyrics. Go for an adventure with this quirky comedy and you won't be disappointed.

Famed oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) is out for revenge after his comrade Esteban gets eaten by a mystery shark during their last documentary. Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson) joins him claiming to be his son. Jane Winslett-Richardson (Cate Blanchett) is the pregnant reporter joining on her own dime. Eleanor Zissou (Anjelica Huston) is the wife and Klaus Daimler (Willem Dafoe) is his right hand man. Bill Ubell is the stooge from the bond company. They break into an underwater station owned by Alistair Hennessey (Jeff Goldblum) to steal his gear. There is a romantic triangle and a pirate hideaway.It's Wes Anderson's movie after 'The Royal Tenenbaums'. He's doubling down on the deadpan humor on his way to creating his own unique style. It is amusing more than humorous. Bill Murray is a bit too harsh to be likable. This is one more step for Wes on his road to achieving something amazing. This one does get more fun the second time around. The first time is a bit of WTF.