Moonrise Kingdom - A review

I'm going to come right out and say it: see Moonrise Kingdom; it's a great movie.

It's been praised by multiple critics as being the year's best, and it may very well be, thus far. It's a Wes Anderson film so it's naturally quirky, but also heartfelt, hilarious, and genuinely emotional.

This was actually my first Wes Anderson film and I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew it was supposed to be a good movie and all, but I wasn't sure if I could get over the whole whimsy thing. I hate quirkiness in general (if you know me well enough, you'll know Zooey Deschanel is my least favorite person on earth), but as long as it's not included for the sake of being quirky, it works. For instance, the themes involved here are young love and nostalgia, and the goofy sense of humor, without going over the top, serves the story well.

The story here takes place in a New England island in 1965, where a boy named Sam escapes from his khaki scout camp, and a girl, Suzy, escapes from her home. Their love extends back to about a year ago, where they briefly met each other and became penpals. The rest of the film is them living out in the wilderness and other memorable characters trying to find them. A policeman (Bruce Willis), the good-natured scoutmaster (Edward Norton), the lawyer parents of Suzy (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand). Even Social Services (Tilda Swinton) gets involved.

Now primarily this is a comedy film, and there are some great laugh-out-loud moments. It's really a character-driven story, and there are some great characters. I especially liked Edward Norton's character, and I found Bill Murray's performance to be great as well. But it's a serious film as well. It's actually a very interesting love story about how two somewhat emotionally-disturbed kids can find a relief from their troubles through love and nature. My favorite aspect of the film was how the two kids, flawed as their view of love may be, was far more pure than any of the adults'.

So I would definitely recommend it, though it's still not showing anywhere. It's both funny and heart-warming, and a shame that this is still awaiting a wide release as opposed to utter garbage like Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter.