Moonrise Kingdom: A Pair of Star-Crossed Lovers

            When I heard Francious Hardy’s song “Le Temps De L’amour” in the trailer for Wes Anderson’s new adventurous film, Moonrise Kingdom, I knew I was going to be in for just that, an adventure. From the first twenty seconds in I was incredibly intrigued. It appears that this new film from Focus Features, the art production team of Universal Studios that have distributed and produced the great films such as The Pianist, Lost in Translation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and It’s Kind of a Funny Story, centers around two kids of about ten years old who fall in love with each other and run away together. While the trailer is filled with Wes Anderson’s style of quirky commentary and dialogue, sepia and pastel colored scenes, and a list full of “Class A” actors to star in this comedy, I am not bored by it in the least. Wes Anderson’s other notable films such as The Darjeeling Unlimited, The Royal Tenenbaums, and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou are known for one thing: Anderson’s one-of-a-kind style of quirky, artistic, dry film-making. Moonrise Kingdom definitely gives the vibe that it will follow suit, but I look forward to seeing that eccentric style in his movies because I have come to expect it of him; I would be disappointed if I did not get to see a dry yet poignant Wes Anderson flick usually starring Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray. And they both star in this film, as well! Imagine that! Just as well recognizable as those two actors are, the film also has some performances by some very well-known actors such as Frances McDormand, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, and Tilda Swinton. Wes Anderson and Roman Copolla wrote the screenplay, so there is no doubt that it will one very challenging and delicately witty plot, and with the sound design and music selection by Alexandre Desplat, it should be comforting to listen to while you are on that ride through the extravagant land of Moonrise Kingdom. I believe this will be a wonderful film to see with your girlfriend, mother and father, children, and even by your lonesome. This movie is about a pair of kids who fall in love at first sight and the turmoil’s that their love brings upon them and their families at only ten years old. It is Wes Anderson, folks. You do not get much better than that. Some people might not like this film, however, because of the tasteful, artsy approach that Mr. Anderson takes. While extremely tasteful and successfully accomplished in my opinion, I know this might not be up some people’s alley, per say. Even within that scope of looking at the film, I still believe that ANYONE could find something that they found to be exciting in this versatile movie trailer. With the emotions of these well-written characters and the well-known actors who are playing them plus the witty logic of the plot and storyline, I imagine a nice demographic participating in a viewing of this film: Families for the children aspect, art kids because it is a “Wes Anderson” film, lovers for the romance, parents and middle-aged citizens for the ripely-laced adult humor that is bound to be found, and just plain avid cinema fans for the pure aesthetics of this film. Set to what appears to be a 1960’s backdrop in this rural coast town with beautiful cinematography, I have nothing bad to say about this film. Enjoy your trip to Moonrise Kingdom. Safe travels!