Rated PG-13, 95 minutes
"Moonrise Kingdom" is the latest winsome Anderson quirkfest
I've always been a big fan of Wes Anderson, and not just because he's also a Wes from Texas who happens to be my same age. His films have a certain, eccentric look and feel to them, and his latest quirkfest, "Moonrise Kingdom" is no different and it's an enjoyable portrait of an eccentric early 1960s childhood. It's 1965, and two young pre-teen lovers Sam and Suzy (newcomers Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward, in their feature debuts) flee their New England town to be together, prompting a local sheriff (Bruce Willis), Suzy's parents (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand) and Sam's scout master (Edward Norton) to form search parties to locate them. "Moonrise Kingdom" is an enjoyable look at the oddities of growing up, parents and the things we must face in becoming adults and another unconventional look at human life from Texas director and writer Anderson. He's assembled one of his most eclectic casts in Willis, Murray, McDormand, Norton in addition to Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton, Harvey Keitel and Anderson regulars Jason Schwartzman and Bob Balaban, though the most memorable performances come from the young leads in their first movie, especially Gilman as the orphaned Sam. Some of the characters seem like filler (especially Swinton, Keitel and Schwartzman) not to mention the slight story is one of Anderson's weaker efforts. But like most of Anderson's efforts, you're drawn to the unconventional look and feel of the movie, which in this case captures the early 1960s very well. "Moonrise Kingdom" isn't Anderson's best effort but it's definitely an emotionally rich if not odd look, at childhood.
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