Big stars, little movie–good fun

The Find for this Friday is Wes Anderson’s new movie, Moonrise Kingdom.

Over on the island of New Penzance, one of the Khaki Scouts is missing.  Within hours, it is discovered that Suzy Bishop, the daughter of local lawyers and lighthouse residents, is also missing.  Could Sam and Suzy be together?  And where are they?

Young love, New England eccentricity, the mob instincts of children, broken marriages, and Social Services are all satirized and celebrated in this sweet and silly and brilliantly-acted film.

Newcomers  Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward hold their own with Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, Ed Norton, Harvey Keitel, Tilda Swinton and Bob Balaban.  In a world where budget considerations often limit a movie to one star, I’m not sure how this one ended up with seven who are not only “names” but honest-to-god actors, but I’m glad it did.  Their presence is reassuring in such a wacky atmosphere.

And as a side note, I defy you to find any movie in which Frances McDormand appears that is not worth seeing.

This one is funny and moving and put together with meticulous care.

I don’t know much about the technical jargon of cinematography, so I may not be describing this accurately, but the film stock, the color palette and the camera work–while clearly professional–are all highly reminiscent of the old 8mm cameras we used back in the day.  That, almost more than the blue eye shadow, the battery-operated record player and Bill Murray’s Madras pants, anchors the story in the sixties.

The score, largely Benjamin Britten with some telling Hank Williams songs thrown in, is gorgeous.  The island is sunny and scenic.  The story is both recognizable and brand-new. The actors are so good that you will not notice how good they are.  And if you think that is easy, you don’t know much about acting.

Reviewers call it “dreamlike,” “endearing,” and “a near perfect balance between humanism and the surreal.”

So do I.