Synopsis: Gustav H (Ralph Fiennes) is a legendary concierge at the Grand Budapest Hotel who seduces the rich old lady guests but when one of them, Madame D (Tilda Swinton) dies leaving him a valuable painting he is implicated in her murder and forced to try and clear his name.
Stan's thoughts: I've always been fond of Wes Anderson's idiosyncratic style of film making and his quirky humour. And it seems actors do too because Grand Budapest is so stuffed full of acting talent (Adrien Brody, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law, Edward Norton, Lea Seydoux...) part of the fun is seeing who pops up next.
It is so great to see Fiennes in a role like this and he plays the charming, gentlemanly and capable Gustav with such a beautiful sense of fun. And the relatively new actor Tony Revolori who plays Zero, the bell boy and aspiring concierge that Gustav takes under his wing, more than holds his nerve with such a starry cast.
The narrative begins to ramble a little three quarters of the way through and perhaps the film could have benefited from a little trimming but overall this is just quirky, silly, fun and as such a joy to watch. My hope is that the DVD has outtakes because there must have been loads. And I'd also love to see Ben Whishaw in something like this.
Ratings*
- Stan's: 82%
- IMDB: 84%
- Metascore: 87%
- Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
- RT audience rating: 91%
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