Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-25 04:44:41

Dark Comedy

This review is from: The Darjeeling Limited (DVD) Borderline tragedy, this movie is a very thought provoking feature starring some of the most interesting actors I've ever known.

2012-05-24 20:43:07

Simultaneously Wry and Whimsical.

"The Darjeeling Limited" is a captivating entry in the already quirky canon of train movies, where the environment of the train itself is vital to the story. Motivated to bond with his brothers after a near-fatal accident, Francis Whitman (Owen Wilson) arranges a trip to India for himself and brothers Peter (Adrien Brody) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman). The idea is make a "spiritual journey" of a cross-country train trip aboard The Darjeeling Limited, following a careful, laminated itinerary. But the brothers don't trust one another, for good reason, and Francis has kept their destination a secret. The Darjeeling Limited is a functional train created for this movie, which was filmed aboard the moving train. There couldn't be a better advertisement for Indian tourism. The train is absolutely charming, with handpainted artwork adorning the corridors, colorful, tasseled chandeliers in the dining car, and a profusion of lovely cobalt blue everywhere. I have no idea if this remotely resembles a real Indian train. It seems like an exotic, whimsical version of a European train from the pre-World War II era. But the production design by Mark Friedberg is a true gem, not to be missed."The Darjeeling Limited" has a low-key, slightly bemused, wryly comic, but good-natured tone, to which I attribute its success. It's familiar, but I have never seen a film able to sustain this tone for the duration. It doesn't slip even as the characters' situation vacillates from comic to tragic, or when they get off the train. Even the humor doesn't interrupt the flow, which is aided by a great soundtrack. I found it all pleasantly hypnotic. The visuals are beautiful. The odd characters seem utterly natural in this environment. This is the best role for Adrien Brody since "The Pianist". Wes Anderson's films are hit-or-miss for me, but this one is a hit. The DVD (20th Century Fox 2008): You have the option of viewing the film with a prelude entitled "Hotel Chevalier" (12 min). It concerns an encounter between Jack and his girlfriend in a Paris hotel room. It's superfluous and would create a hiccough in the film's pacing. I strongly recommend viewing the film without it. You can always watch it afterward. There is also a making-of featurette called "The Darjeeling Limited Walking Tour" (21 min). Production designer Mark Friedberg shows us around the train, and there is behind-the-scenes footage of filming. And there is a theatrical trailer (2 min). Subtitles for the film are available in English, Spanish, French. Dubbing available in Spanish.

Mike Keating 2012-05-19 16:33:52

Wes Anderson delivers. Again...

Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzmann as three brothers whohaven't spoken for years, on a train. In India. By Wes Anderson.It's a good idea, isn't it? No...it's a great idea. Three good actorsin three-well written roles in an open, exciting and unpredictableenvironment, while they're also stuck with each other in a cramped anuncomfortable train carriage. With more than a little baggage...However, despite the bright, new and fantastically shot environment andthe well-cast new member of the Anderson family, The Darjeeling Limitedis what has become a typical Wes Anderson film. Despite its relocationfrom the suburbs, or more recently, the deep blue sea, it's still afilm about a dysfunctional family and their endeavours tobecome...slightly more functional. The comedy is derived from siblingtension and the conflicts of the past, and even the music, that typicalAnderson blend of quirky yet affecting relatively unknown tracks whichis very good and works in all the right ways, feels comfortable andexpected despite its "newness".I seem to be griping because Anderson's fifth movie is as good as theothers. And in a way, I am. The Darjeeling Limited is the work of adirector who has found his groove (or in this case, his track) anddoesn't show signs of trying to get out of it. As a result, not much ofit really feels surprising. It's just as well he's good at what he doesthen, isn't it? It's the way Anderson handles the family drama thatsets Darjeeling apart. While it's funny in all those idiosyncraticways, making light of familial relations and awkward interactions,Anderson's warm, tender approach draws you into the lives of thesecharacters. And, because of their respective flaws and quirks, theybecome more than characters; you can see them as people.Anderson's movies have always had genuine heart buried not too farbelow the layer of offbeat style, so despite its familiarity,Darjeeling is arguably in this respect his best work. You can see apart of yourself in each of the Whitman brothers, and in cinema thereis no substitute for that.

marcusdean118 2012-05-19 02:47:13

Not just for Wes fans.

I am myself a huge Wes Anderson fan. But don't think of my view asbiased. I try to go into every movie with a clear and undistorted brainand just enjoy the movie. Which I did, thoroughly.I was completely taken in by the story. The music as always withAnderson is pitch perfect and it completely sets the tone. Thecharacters are believable and the writing is incredibly witty. For allits breathtaking visuals and its carefully constructed mise en scene,The Darjeeling Limited remains a character film. With each brotherdiffering in personality (and appearance but lets not go into that) thefilm makes for a diverse and largely accurate view of sibling rivalry.The scenery is beautiful, the characters compelling and the writing hasnever been better. Wes Anderson has hit his peak, this is in myopinion, his best film to date. Its not as quirky as say The LifeAquatic. And its structure is not as full as The Royal Tenenbaums. Thislands an effective blow with just over 90 minutes. 90 minutes which youwill gladly give up again to revisit this gem.

Tdi7457 2012-05-13 20:21:06

100% Classic

Three American brothers (Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman)who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyageacross India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other --to become brothers again like they used to be. Their "spiritual quest",however, veers rapidly off-course (due to events involvingover-the-counter pain killers, Indian cough syrup, and pepper spray),and they eventually find themselves stranded alone in the middle of thedesert with eleven suitcases, a printer, and a laminating machine. Atthis moment, a new, unplanned journey suddenly begins. Very funny anddecent. The Darjeeling Limited

Bones Eijnar 2012-05-13 02:16:36

Tangled Up in Blue

Wes Anderson makes movies about dreams, family and relationships whosebroken or shattered - and THE DARJEELING LIMITED is another run foryour Anderson-money, as it is his most vibrating and oddly funny todate; The Three Stooges of Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson and JasonSchwartzman creates brilliant interplay as heavily-bruised Wilson'sFrancis has organized a spiritual journey throughout Rajasthan's vividlandscape, greatly captured by cinematographer Robert D. Yeoman - andthe captivating story of these three brothers who meets up for thefirst time since their father's Manhattan-death is filled with oddity,whether it's the spiritual input, the symbolism throughout, Wilson'scombination of humor and heartbreak or Darjeeling's Part 1 - HotelChevalier, which tells another story of Schwartzman's Jack, this isanother beautiful story told by Wes Anderson.This is a train-ride actually shot on a moving train, and it feels likeAnderson and company got things made up as they moved along. And thechaotic and struggling hypnotically feel makes it a genuine experiencethat's so very moving and as any Anderson treat, ingenious. This moviewent straight to my heart - beauty and sadness hand in hand.

london29 2012-05-09 21:23:23

A real disappointment

I went to The Darjeeling Limited with reasonably high expectationshaving enjoyed Anderson's earlier films and given that my family wereoriginally from Gujerat (not far from the film's locations inRajasthan). However, I found it to be largely crass, laboured andinsensitive. It's the kind of film that Americans who have never beento India might enjoy, but for anyone who loves and knows the countryit's quite another matter.It's hard to warm to any of the characters - they are a series ofquirks rather than real people (eg Jason Schwartzman doesn't wearshoes, for some unfathomable reason). In particular, it's not so greatto watch bland, unlikeable Americans going to India to 'find'themselves when the film is so uninterested itself in India. Here it isnothing more than a colourful backdrop. Anderson clearly cares for itso little that a scene supposedly taking place in the foothills of theHimalayas was clearly shot in Rajasthan. For those of you who haven'tbeen, the foothills are about as dissimilar from Rajasthan as Montanais from New York. They are a world apart.The film is laden down with some of the worst metaphors that I haveseen in a supposedly 'intelligent' film. When the three brothersfinally discover the real meaning of life, they literally abandon theirbaggage - they dump it on the station platform! It's a long time sinceI've seen something as laboured as this.This film is cultural appropriation of the worst sort.

patricklewallen 2012-05-09 15:37:49

Very Big Disappointment

I went into this movie very excited to see a film with three verytalented actors. I had no idea that I was going to be seeing the mostpainfully boring movie made all year. There is no action in the movie.Actually, there is hardly a plot. The fact that this movie isclassified as a comedy is an abomination. For something to be a comedy,there must be humor. However, this movie seems to lack any type ofhumor. If you want to see a depressing film, this is the film for you.Keep in mind though, there is no substance to the movie. I would notrecommend this movie to anyone, because I don't want them to undergothe suffering I went through. Did I mention that the film is boring?Rating = F

2012-05-05 07:28:02

good

This review is from: The Darjeeling Limited (DVD) Had no problems playing the DVD and it was delivered in an acceptable time frame.

Rebeca and Maneesh 2012-05-04 15:14:19

How can a director miss the point so badly!

This is a perfect example of how to ruin a very good idea. The moviehad all the ingredients to be a very good one. When we read the reviewon IMDb and watched the trailer we had some high expectations....:Greeat scenery, curious casting, funny dialogue and apparently a storyof touching encounters between brothers and the strange world they movethrough... So what happened in the cinema? We'll tell you... It startswith a GREAT 'corto' (Intro) featuring Nathalie Portman in a romanticscene that reminds us of magic realism, playing in a french hotel room,great dialogues and very daring, exposing acting. Yay! Great promise!Yes! We came to the right movie! Guess what? WRONG!!! There is no depthin the characters, although they make you laugh the first 5 minutes,but from then on they're fixed, without any development, similar likethe statues you will find in Madame Tussaud. However, the big fault inthis arty-farty B-movie, that clutters with words like spirituality andissues around grief and brothers uniting, is the horrendous script. Wealso noticed Bill Murray for 1 second. He was running to catch atrain... He didn't say anything and no matter how much we looked, underevery rock and every plant, there was really no sense at all about thatscene. Nothing. Nada. Just arty farty 'interesting' blah ... In the endof this awful ride full of repetitive scenes in slightly differentangles viewed, we got the feeling that the director must have beendrugged by something really boring like Prozac or I don't know what butit can be healthy. When the movie was finished, and we overcame ourshock, we carefully looked around... Nobody dared to move. Awkwardsilence. Frozen faces all around. How can something be so boring? Withthis great cast, great topics, great setting and environment... how canyou do that. This is not the kind of thing you want to see on the bigscreen and also not on DVD. This is a perfectly forgettable movie thatwill only leave an impression on Andersons mother...

jera021 2012-05-03 07:00:08

Waiting for the train that never comes...

My expectations about this film were never high, trailers wereconfusing, so I said 'Why not?'.This one hits the rock bottom.Boredome's definition! Three brothers that have nothing to say to eachother keep repeating 'We have to say so much to each other'. That's it.For an hour and a half. It seemed to me like it was presented to us inreal time (10 days and more). I can't understand why did it take threepeople to write the script for this. If there was one less or more,would it be better or worse? This is the film that could end at everyminute. To cut a long story short: no story, annoying acting(especially Owen Wilson's role), dialogs that overcomes stupidity init's pure way, unnecessary flashback scene... I didn't care about anyof the characters, nor should you. Only the cameo part by Bill Murraywas promising in the beginning, and after that... Bill is one of myfavorite actors (Natalie Portman is beautiful), but why this? Don'teven try!

rehman-amer 2012-05-02 18:41:06

Style over substance and a great cast wasted....

Just saw this, plus the prologue Hotel Chevalier, at the VeniceFestival.Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad film, it just seems like anopportunity missed. Anderson makes beautiful, intelligent films withcomplex characters. However, while all these elements are here, thestory itself is too thin to pull it off.The ingredients are all there - three brothers embarking on a trainand, hopefully spiritual, journey in India together. Owen Wilson isconsummately intelligent and kooky as ever, Adrien Brody does what hecan with the material but Jason Schwartzman really comes of age as anadult actor. The cinematography is fantastic (although as any Bollywoodwatcher will know, it's hard NOT to film India beautifully) and thereare several iconic use of images and colours, not least thefantastically retro Louis Vuitton luggage, and some nice character andfamily quirks tenderly observed; but the film frustrates in onlytouching at the obvious depth of the main characters, and hence theirmotives. Thus it's hard to maintain interest in their denouement.The film is saved from superficiality mainly by use powerful sceneswith local actors, participial the superb Irfan Khan, who demonstrateshis skills again after his landmark turn in 'The Namesake', ironicallya lesson to Anderson in the power of a great story. Amara Karan also isgreat support, let down only by her English accent slipping through.Worth a watch, not just for the expected occasional great lines and theheavyweight talent on show, but one can't help but feel that Andersonneeds to leave this genre behind and show the world his talents moreaccessibly, perhaps by using actors he hasn't grown up with.Overall, a great idea, too lightly executed - these characters wouldhave made a great novel, but 2 hours in a cinema doesn't do it justice.

woodyns 2012-05-02 06:00:24

Absolutely pointless

There is no message in this movie other than a void. Besides the score,the movie is pointless and with no meaning. What's the big deal andmessage from 3 guys going to India to meet their mother? So boring of amovie, over hyped and for those who want to find enlightenment in aplace where people are only trying to escape. It starts slow, itcontinues slow, it ends slow. There is no climax, confusing, pointlesscharacters with no depth at all. I feel I want to scream out loud CRAP!I don't think I missed anything here, tried to focus and to think hardof what the story is trying to tell us. Just don't waste your time evenwatching the trailer. Just wasted my money on this DVD.

2012-05-01 16:05:22

The Quirkly Cadre Rides Again!

Wes Anderson films are an acquired taste. From Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and finally this film, THE DARJEELING LIMITED, quirkiness is a theme that runs throughout writer/director Anderson's repertoire. He also loves working with the Wilson brothers (Luke and Owen) as well as Anjelica Huston and Bill Murray. So -- not surprisingly -- Owen, Anjelica and Bill all show up at some point in this one. They are, in fact, becoming what I like to call "the quirky cadre."Anderson isn't one of those "in-your-face" kind of directors. He doesn't spoonfeed you anything, and this is both fun and frustrating. The fun comes from personal discoveries related to the scenes and situations he puts his characters in. The frustration is that sometimes the disconnects are too extreme.This time we have the three Whitman brothers, Francis (Owen Wilson, Cars), Peter (Adrien Brody, Hollywoodland), and Jack (Jason Schwarztman, Marie Antoinette). Their father has recently passed away and the brothers take on a trip to India to find their absent mother. In the meantime, we get to witness the bizarreness of this family unit. Francis (Wilson) is a control freak who has to have every minute detail pinned down. Peter (Brody) is somewhat of a kleptomaniac. And Jack (Schwartzman) is a damaged guy stuck on a damaged gal (played by Natalie Portman, Closer). The three boys try to rediscover their brotherly bonds by taking The Darjeeling Limited (a train) across India in search of their father's hopes for them and their mother's reasons for not attending her husband's funeral. There are some absolutely hysterical, funny, and poignant moments, sometimes all wrapped up in one scene. The one that comes to mind the most is when the brothers witness a raft trapped in some rapids with three boys clinging on for dear life. They put aside all of their differences and go into savior mode without thinking, and it is a defining moment within the brothers' lives. What comes after is funny and sad. They finally break free of their bonds to their parents and leave all of their luggage behind (literally and metaphorically), thanks to the families they meet outside their own.The main frustration most viewers might have with the movie is the music. There really is no connection between what is happening and the tunes (Anderson, I believe, just enjoyed the Indian music and decided to incorporate it into the film, and be damned what anyone might think). The extreme disconnect was very bothersome for this viewer.Even so, this is a good quirky Anderson film with great color shots (the train and the surrounding terrain), an uplifting story (in the end), and some fine acting by all (especially by Owen Wilson).

barrys82 2012-04-30 03:57:10

A spiritual and emotional journey

This was such a great movie. It's a road trip which combines comedy,drama and adventure. Avery touching and emotional story about threebrothers re-forging family bonds with a spiritual trip to India. Thisfilm is once more directed to the perfection by Wes Anderson. It hasgreat photography, it portrays in one side the poverty of India incontrast with all the beautiful landscapes.The cast is excellent, OwenWilson in perhaps his best performance ever, Adrien Brody wonderful asalways, Jason Shwartzman also very good and Anjelica Huston in a veryconvincing role as the mother. The special appearance by Bill Murraywas very good. A mention apart for the soundtrack, the music is reallyexcellent. This is for sure one of the best movies of 07, soentertaining and enjoyable.

lodgeskins 2012-04-30 03:02:17

love it or hate it

i think most people will love or hate this film, but i did not. wesgoes big for emotion and style. some of his films are more rich withcharacter and plot than others, and this one is at the lower end ofthat spectrum. if you want to see a movie that makes you feelsomething, through deliberate visual manipulation, than this is a goodpick. color and composition take the forefront here. i just wish thatthere were more substance behind it this time around. this new 10 lineminimum for comments is b.s... god forbid we say what we mean tersely.what's the problem with getting to the point? i havrn't run into a moreridiculous problem in a while. oh well, block me, oh gods of IMDb ifyou deem this as padding!

2012-04-23 07:17:47

GREAT movie

I had seen the movie trailers and immediately knew this wasn't a Hollywood commercial movie, just started to wonder when would I have a chance to see it, since I live in Mexico and non-commercial movies are seldom shown in theater screens. My choices: 1.- Download a screener -horrible quality- movie, from someone who had sneaked a videocamera into a theater, or 2.- Pre-order the movie from amazon.I went for the latter option, it took ages, but as soon as I got it and popped it in the dvd player, I was struck by uncertainty, car chase, celebrity faces, camera movements and still no words spoken. It was thrilling, fast paced, and then... it takes you deep into a families womb, brotherly bonds, secrets, communication (or lack of), complex subjacent motives, (un)attachments, needs, with a dash of casual sex and darkly fun situations; it is definitely a Great, well rounded movie, it certainly deserves watching it over in company of thinking friends (you know, the ones that don't laugh half an hour over a fart), and commenting it over a drink.If you liked The Royal Tenenbaums, you'll like this one too, four thumbs up ;)

Gorefanatic78 2012-04-22 11:28:42

A film to be remembered

Few films have the capability to leave you speechless and awestruck;The Darjeeling Limited is one of those films.The Darjeeling Limited is an independent film directed by Wes Anderson.Wes Anderson has done other films including Rushmore, The Life Aquaticwith Steve Zissou, and The Royal Tenenbaums. Those who enjoy Anderson'sfilms will find The Darjeeling Limited just as enchanting andemotionally fueled as the previously mentioned.The Darjeeling Limited focuses on three brothers (Peter, Francis, andJack Whitman) as they travel on a train (The Darjeeling Limited)through India. The three brothers haven't spoken in almost a year andthe oldest (Francis) brought them to India to partake on a spiritualjourney to try and "find" themselves." The thing that made this film soincredible was the fact that it had an emotionally impacting storylineand such an amazing set of actors to back it up. The three brothers areplayed by actors Owen Wilson (Night at the Museum), Adrien Brody (ThePianist), and Jason Schwartzman (Slackers).Owen Wilson brilliantly played his role of the older brother trying tobring his family back together. Not once during the film does he givethe audience the slightest hint that he is anyone other than FrancisWhitman. Throughout the whole film all three of these actors give anoutstanding performance. The person who steals the film though wasJason Schwartzman.Schwartzman plays a small time writer who has just undergone a hardrelationship. He writes stories about what happens to him and claimsthem "fictional." Schwartzman plays this part to the tee. Alongsidesuch big names as Wilson and Brody he had a lot to prove and he did soflawlessly. Throughout the entire film his brilliance and talent showthrough.The people who enjoy movies with idiotic violence, unnecessary nudity,or high priced special effects probably would not enjoy this film. Thisis a piece of beauty that needs to be seen more than once to be able tofully understand it.Anderson's capability to be able to invoke such raw emotion in a filmis something very few directors can do. Whether it has the viewerlaughing out loud or has tears rolling down their eyes, this is truly afilm to be remembered.

Phil Murphy 2012-04-17 11:09:36

Erm....did I miss something?

I'm embarrassed to say, reading all of the positive comments about howthis is such a great film, how much I hated it! It truly was one of thedullest films I have ever seen - and this is the first movie on IMDb Ihave commented on. I used IMDb to find out what are considered goodfilms to watch, which is why I watched it (7.9 out of 10 at lastreading), and I've never disagreed with a score so much. It wasn'texciting, moving, funny, entertaining, even interesting....won't berecommending it to anyone. I was hoping for something mildly moreamusing, and perhaps a little lighter, given Owen Wilson's pasthistory, but I do not recall laughing once, crying once, being excitedonce (apart from a brief moment of interest on the river), and foundmyself clock-watching....not the best indication of a film's bestpoints. It was in fact the longest 1.5 hours of past months, and thatincludes days spent at work with nothing to do!! Ah well...we live andlearn.

2012-04-17 00:08:25

East and West Collide

`The Darjeeling Limited,' should be evaluated by how much mirth and wisdom it provides. The film comes across like a train wreck, giving us a fresh take on the familiar culture clash between East and West. While watching this film, I kept thinking of The Beatles and their films. One reason is that the three brothers presented run (madcap) through the titled Indian train; the other is that they journey through the heart of India searching for wisdom. At the start of the movie Jack (Jason Schwartzman) is in France. He is a successful novelist renting a Paris hotel room for weeks on end. His lover calls, saying she has found him and asks him if she can arrive within a half hour. He says alright, but when she does arrive, it is established that he is there to get away from her. Even so, they feel so passionate about each other, they find it hard to part ways. He had to flee to Paris, but he doesn't resist her advances.In the next frame of the movie, Jack catches up to his brothers, Francis (Owen Wilson) and Peter (Adrien Brody). All agree to an enlightening adventure to get away from it all, while their parents have been in India for some time. It is quickly established that their father passed away there, and their mother has entered a convent and become a nun. Francis is the eldest, and although he is the most vocal about letting go and absorbing the lessons they can gain from the East, he is also the most grasping and controlling of the other two. He sets their purpose with three agreements: A.) Seek the unknown B.) with an open mind..., and C.) even if it`s shocking and painful. Funny, but without knowing it, we learn without preaching that all of them have brought plenty of baggage (literally as well as figuratively) along their journey. In one telling scene, they are running for the Darjeeling Limited, and they all make it aboard while another man (Bill Murray) is left behind. Later on, because of mishaps that shouldn't be mentioned, they catch up to another train, and we find this character is on the same train. Just be still and don't run for trains, I can hear Wes Anderson, showing us in many frames. You'll catch another one. The journey within is supreme. "Arrive without traveling," as George Harrison wrote and sang for The Beatles' "The Inner Light". There is a more substantial development that occurs, but I'll leave you to unearth that for yourselves.`The Darjeeling Limited' is more than a travel adventure. While I don't think mirth and wisdom were necessarily brought in aces, they certainly were highly present. Being a person who loves a visual feast, I couldn't help but be partial to Anderson's shifting 90-degree angle camera changes and how he captures the color and light. Besides the yellow lettering framing a vivid blue train, we have nearly neon colors contrasting with bright saris and white turbans. All in all, the film is not entirely a substantial journey, but an arresting one at that.