Lise’s review published on Letterboxd:
Well I'll be...
This is a great day. A fabulous day.
Feb 16 2013: The first day that I liked a Wes Anderson film. Finally!
My first date with Anderson was over 10 years ago. It should have gone swimmingly. Deadpan comedy. Quirky. Bill Murray. But alas, it was a disaster. After 1 hour of trying really hard, I realized that doing laundry was preferable to spending another minute with him and Rushmore.
The second date was no better. Even Gene Gene the Acting Machine couldn't hold my interest. It is not possible to have cared any less for the Tenenbaum family than I did. But I stuck around for the duration, determined to see if perhaps Mr. Anderson's Midas Touch is all about his endings. Yeah, not so much.
What was wrong with me? On paper Anderson was my favourite director. I couldn't not love him.
So I watched the Tenenbaums again the next day with the commentary track. Surely someone would explain what it was I wasn't seeing. Nope. Nothing.
Third time the charm? This time it was with The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Not the worst date ever, but really kind of boring. Certainly nothing to write home about.
That was it. I had accepted that he and I would never get along. In the years since I've thought about him a lot, and have always wondered why we didn't click. It was too incongruous. We had to get along. So I decided to give him one last shot.
Feb 16 2013.
Moonrise Kingdom.
It was a blast! It was a hit! I loved it! I was charmed right from the first minute and smiled throughout the entire adventure. I was giddy, I was so happy. I wanted to shout "Wes Anderson - I Get You Now!" from the front of the boat.
If the film had ended right after the special ceremony (to avoid spoilers), it would have been a perfect film. 5 stars. For Wes Anderson. From me. What a day. But alas, the last act had to happen. The craft requires it I guess, even though I certainly didn't. Oh it was all done nicely and there was nothing bad, but the giddiness was gone and just a fraction of the charm remained.
But at this point, none of that matters.
All that matters is that on Feb 16 2013 I fell in love with a Wes Anderson movie.
That might open up a few doors.
I might like Rushmore now.
I might like Tenenbaums now.
And if I do, Mr. Anderson will go down in history as the only director to win my affections after a full decade of wooing.