I now know what it’s like for those buzz killers who complain about Wes Anderson films. All the adjectives they use to denigrate delights such as The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou – fastidious, mannered, production designed to death – apply, in my mind, to this deliberate quirkfest. Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo star as con men brothers who set their sights on a disaffected heiress (Rachel Weisz). They wear impeccable suits and hats, she “collects” hobbies. And so the arch, ironic shenanigans begin. Obviously this simply didn’t work for me, even if it confirms that director Rian Johnson (the brilliant Brick) has real talent. So much talent, in fact, he doesn’t have to try this hard.
