Three American brothers (Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman) cross India by train in this trippy road trip from writer-director Wes Anderson. They’re seeking some vague sort of enlightenment, but past family history – in the present form of each other – keeps getting in the way. Anderson delivers both an amusing spoof and an authentic vindication of such narcissistic quests. It’s not giving too much away to say that the brothers do eventually have their moment of shared epiphany, though I won’t divulge the unexpected way it arrives. Anderson’s movies tend to work in a similar manner. We think we’re watching quirky little comedies about outlandish characters when – boom! – we experience a genuine epiphany of our own. Suddenly, a silly film has delivered an emotional wallop. Brody makes an especially welcome addition to the usual suspects in the cast. The Oscar winner has a comedian’s gangly limbs and a tragedian’s melancholy face. For the tragicomedies of Wes Anderson, that’s a perfect combination.
