It's Check-In Time At 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'

The Grand Budapest Hotel is a hoot and a holla.  It’s the story of a head concierge and his protégé, Zero, a lobby boy, who, together, steal a painting, solve a murder and fall in love.

More to the point, the movie recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting and the battle for an enormous family fortune.

This movie is hilarious!  The movie is quirky! The movie is zany!  The movie is an exhilarating thrill ride!  And it’s all set against a darker tale of pre-war Europe.  Somehow it all seems to work.

 (2nd from L - Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori)

Ralph Fiennes kills it, as does Tony Revolori, a 17-year-old actor who is sharing the screen with some of the industry’s heavy hitters, including F. Murray Abraham, Mathiew Amalric, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson and Owen Wilson.

Fiennes’ cadence, his timing, his delivery, his comic flair makes for a full, ingenious delight.

The chemistry between Fiennes and Revolori is palpable. It’s natural, it’s authentic, it’s brilliant.

Admittedly, when someone thinks of Fiennes, they don’t think quirky comedy.  Well, Fiennes will, no doubt, open a lot of eyes with his flawless comedic performance.

 (2nd from L Tony Revolori, Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes)

Revolori is refreshing. He leaves it all on the screen especially with his deadpan facial expressions and spot on delivery.

The fast-pace and style of the film, written, produced and directed by Wes Anderson (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom and The Darjeeling Limited) is what makes it work. This is one of Anderson’s best and most heartfelt films to date. From start to finish The Grand Budapest Hotel take the audience on a wild ride. It, for sure, doesn’t disappoint.

Anderson, whose films are colorful, creates characters of the same hues.  This film is a real treat!

The Grand Budapest Hotel (Fox Searchlight), written, produced and directed by Wes Anderson, stars Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody, Willen Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson and Owen Wilson.

The Grand Budapest Hotel is Rated R; Running time: 100 minutes

On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likeable), O (OK) and E (excellent), The Grand Budapest Hotel gets an E (Excellent).