Right from the get go Darjeeling Limited gets off on the wrong foot. The first thing the audience sees is a message from the director telling us we were supposed to have already seen a short movie on the Internet called Hotel Chevalier, available for free download, so we’re already behind. Luckily, I’m one of those in the know types so I’d already seen Hotel Chevalier but I can sympathize with the average film goer. It’s like the following things:

1) showing up for the first day of class and finding out there’s homework due.
2) tuning in to the first episode of a new TV show and having it begin with “previously”.
3) walking into a movie and finding out it’s the sequel to a film you’ve never heard of (see Faye Grim).
Actually, It’s pretty much exactly like that last one.
A note about the work of writer director Wes Anderson. Though considered a great director, the majority of his films are under appreciated at the time of their release. Bottle Rocket was virtually unknown prior to the popularity of Rushmore. Tenenbaums was accused of reducing the Wes Anderson aesthetic to a formula, and Life Aquatic was said to be his most disappointing work to date.
But like a lot of film makers; Kubrick, Scorsese sometimes; his work lingers and gains favor over time. Anderson is a filmmaker who’s invented his own homemade genre. His films are characterized by a particular sound and sense of humor. People love his aesthetic but I think they also feel like he repeats himself and people hate repeats even repeats of their favorite episode.
It seems like Anderson reacts to that criticism and challenges himself. For instance his last film introduced some novel elements like pirates and stop motion special effects, and a new writing partner Noah Baumbach. In Darjeeling he introduces the following novel elements into the mix: Adrian Brody, Indian music, the rest of India, religious themes, new writing partners (Jason Schwartzman and Roman Coppola). And in my opinion it all works. Darjeeling includes all the things we love about Wes Anderson while also treading , however cautiously, on new ground.
Darjeeling Limited is a road movie sort of in the same vein as Down By Law. Owen Wilson invites his two brothers to meet him in India where he has a big surprise planned for them. They ride a train around and embark on a “spiritual journey” that’s simultaneously sincere and total bullshit. The brothers don’t get along because they’re all stubborn high strung types. Their father’s deceased and their mom (Angelica Huston) is a nun. In addition to the people I’ve already mention, the film stars: various celebrities in cameos, the Indian guy in all of Wes Anderson’s movies, an Indian girl who looks a lot like Rosario Dawson, and a snake.

By the end they all get along because they’ve grown. In fact, you could say they leave their baggage behind. In fact, they leave their baggage behind. It could be argued that everything’s summed up too neatly. It’s probably not necessary to have everyone resolve all their problems, and then show them all getting along splendidly, and then show them literally leaving their baggage behind; but fuck it. To dwell on any of that wold be to miss the point. So, quit complaining and enjoy yourself some Anderson goodness.

Bonus Review of Hotel Chevalier

Please watch Darjeeling Limited before reading this review otherwise it might not make any sense and you’ll be left behind.
Hotel Chevalier is a twelve minute film about Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman having sex in a good looking Paris hotel room. Most notably Natalie is in the buff but she’s covered in gross bruised which disgusted me. The film is pretty and elegant and the definition of indulgent.
I was glad I saw this before Darjeeling because otherwise I would’ve felt like a schmo. But truthfully, I think this might actually play better viewed as an addendum rather than a prelude. You will not be lost in the labyrinth plot of Darjeeling without having first watched Chevalier. It’s more like there are little bits and details strewn through out Darjeeling that are given slightly more significance by watching Chevalier. The meaning is going to come across regardless of which you see first. And sometimes it’s a nice change of pace to get the punchline of a joke before the set up, especially if the jokes not that funny.

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