Director’s Corner: Wes Anderson
Hello and welcome to Cinema Wellman. I am your host David, and today we welcome Wes Anderson into our Director’s Corner and our Friends of Cinema Wellman Hall of Fame simultaneously!
Today we’ll be ranking all 11 of Wes Anderson’s feature films, but you won’t be getting Cinema Wellman’s rankings alone!
We found six other entities (IMDb, Forbes Magazine, Variety, Empire Magazine, EN World, and Rotten Tomatoes) that also ranked all of Anderson’s films and then we asked friend of Cinema Wellman and friend of Wes Anderson, Larry for his rankings as well.
So that’s 8 different rankings to work with.
After plugging in everyone’s numbers, we calculated an overall ranking of the films which is what you'll be getting in this episode.
For each film, I’ll let you know which evaluators had it ranked the highest and lowest, which will also give you an idea of the range on the scale for each film.
If we’re going to be talking about the films of Wes Anderson, we’re going to need to talk about the adjective twee which has been used by many to describe his films.
Twee: (adj.) - affectedly or extremely dainty, delicate, cute, or quaint
Example: “The cutesy knickknacks in that shop are a bit twee for my taste.”
The word was originally intended to be complimentary, but it is now used as an insult.
When I think of Wes Anderson’s “twee,” it is definitely used in a complimentary manner.
So much so that I created the Wes Anderson Twee-Mometer!™
On the official Cinema Wellman Wes Anderson Twee-Mometer™ we kept track of Anderson’s Director’s Trademarks (courtesy of IMDb) along with Anderson’s frequent flier cast members during our rescreening of all 11 films.
Director’s trademarks: novel storytelling, overhead shots (of hand-placed items), handwritten notes, pastel palettes, center framed shots, tracking shots, the whip pan, maps, and the slow-motion ending.
The cast in all 11 of these films is absolutely amazing, so I’ll try not to repeat that over and over. It’s a definite strength in each and every film on this list.
The Twee-Mometer™ also kept track of Anderson’s favorite cast members and how many appear in each film.
Names you’ll need to be familiar with are Bill Murray (9 of the 11 films), Jason Schwartzman (7), Owen Wilson (7), Adrien Brody (5), Tilda Swinton (5), Willem Dafoe (5), Edward Norton (5), and Anjelica Huston (5), although one of her credits was as “Mute Poodle” in Isle of Dogs, so no lines and since it was a stop motion animation film, we don’t see her either.
Huston received that credit because of her friendship and numerous collaborations with Anderson, which brings up an interesting point.
There are filmmakers out there (Anderson among them) who seem to have a stable of actors that show up in their films over and over, many times for scale.
The Coen Brothers and Christopher Nolan come to mind as fitting in this category as well, and there’s a reason for this.
Those filmmakers are doing something very right on their productions to have so many top performers lining up to be in their movies.
Cate Blanchett once said she would “play a pencil” in a Guillermo del Toro film just to work with him again.
In an industry infamous for its poor treatment of people and its cutthroat mindset, it’s always refreshing to hear about people who like each other and want to work with each other to create content for us to enjoy.
The word “create” is front and center in any Wes Anderson production because he is absolutely meticulous with his creations.
Anderson’s worlds seem to exist just on the fringes of reality. With the exception of a space friend in Asteroid City and some whimsical made-up sea creatures in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, just about all of what you’ll see in Anderson’s (non stop motion) films could exist in reality.
Albeit a pastel-colored reality with characters that aren’t quite like anyone you’ve ever seen or met before in real life.
One of the things I love the most about his movies is how I know while watching that EVERYTHING in each shot has been thought about and carefully placed there by Anderson and his art direction team.
It reminds me of when I was teaching, and I’d talk about an author's word choice. For many of the best artists; if it’s there, it’s there for a reason.
Nothing you see in a Wes Anderson frame is accidental.
I think it would be fun to have Anderson and his team do a home makeover show where they would turn someone’s house into something you’d see in one of his movies.
We’ll call it “Twee House,” or something like that.
Trademark that, Chet.
Let’s get to the rankings!
Remember that this ranking is an overall calculation of 8 professional (and non-professional) rankings of Anderson’s films.
I don’t want to spoil too much about the specific events of each film since I think you should experience these films for yourself.
I now like all 11 films, but two of them were actually given a bomb in the Cinema Wellman archives after their first viewing.
Subsequent viewings have resulted in those bombs being removed, but I can see why some may shy away from Anderson’s films.
They shouldn’t, but I can see why they would.
Anderson’s movies tend to be an acquired taste, but I’ve found that many of those acquired taste things end up being pretty damn tasty.
Along with the IMDb synopsis, I’ll also provide you with each film's Twee-Mometer™ total which is the total number of director’s trademarks found plus the number of frequent fliers appearing in the film.
You’ll also be informed of which “critic” had the film the highest on their list and which “critic” had it the lowest, for what that’s worth.
Here we go!
#11: Bottle Rocket (1996)
R/91 min./IMDb: 6.9/film #1
Twee-Mometer™ Reading/Rank (8/#11)
Critics High & Low (5: Variety/11: 3 critics)
IMDb: “Three friends plan to pull off a simple robbery and go on the run.”
There’s really absolutely nothing wrong with Bottle Rocket unless you want to rank it as a Wes Anderson film and since it’s Wes Anderson’s very first film not even Wes Anderson knew what a Wes Anderson film was going to look like, so it pales in comparison.
It’s not quite a Wes Anderson film.
Yet.
But it certainly shows a lot of promise in so many areas of filmmaking that Wes Anderson later perfects.
I love that Owen and Luke Wilson are friends in this movie, but not brothers.
#10: The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
R/91 min./IMDb: 7.2/film #5
Twee-Mometer™ Reading/Rank (12.5/#3)
Critics High & Low (7: Larry & IMDb/10: 3 critics)
IMDb: “A year after their father’s funeral, three brothers travel across India by train in an attempt to bond with each other.”
While I do enjoy Brody, Owen Wilson, and Schwartzman as brothers, this one dropped a bit for me upon second viewing.
It’s almost like it has too much going on at times.
I absolutely love the cutaway of the train car in a scene towards the end that shows Natalie Portman in her compartment even though she’s not in the rest of the movie. I’ll explain that later.
Anderson’s use of the cutaway set shots is absolutely brilliant. It always reminds me of when I saw “The Diary of Anne Frank” in Boston that had their sets built with that cutaway style.
And a 14-year-old Natalie Portman played Anne Frank in that production!
#9: The French Dispatch (2021)
R/107 min./IMDb: 7.1/film #10
Twee-Mometer™ Reading/Rank (17/#1)
Critics High & Low (2: EN World/11: Larry)
IMDb: “A love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional twentieth century French city that brings life to a collection of stories published in ‘The French Dispatch Magazine’.
I love the way Anderson goes back and forth between color and black and white in this movie.
It allows him to create two worlds within the same film.
And there are more cutaway sets!
That could definitely be added to the list of director’s trademarks, and next time I do a full Wes Anderson film festival, I will definitely be keeping track of that.
This one also features an entire sequence in animation!
I’ve always thought it was odd that Larry is a journalist, and worked for several newspapers and he has this at the bottom.
Too absurd and unrealistic a portrayal of journalism?
Or too close a portrayal of journalism?
Next is the Wes Anderson film that I like more every time I watch it.
#8: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
R/119 min./IMDb: 7.2/film #4
Twee-Mometer™ Reading/Rank (12/t#4)
Critics High & Low (3: Larry/11: Forbes, Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb: “With a plan to exact revenge on a legendary shark that killed his partner, oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife, a journalist, and a man who may or may not be his son.”
This one has grown on me, and I’m not exactly sure why.
Could it be that Zissou is a stoner? Could it be that I’m in love with Cate Blanchett? Could it be the delightfully whimsical mythical sea creatures? Could it be Seu Jorge’s David Bowie songs in Portuguese? Could it be the ending inspired by Buckaroo Banzai?
Yes.
There are 11 people in the submersible at the end as they’re looking for the shark when someone asks, “Are we safe in here?”
Zissou’s answer is, “I doubt it.”
Murray’s Zissou rubbed me the wrong way the first time I saw this, but he gets extremely human at the end, which redeemed him to me.
And we get a Wes Anderson action scene!
Which is exactly what you’d expect it to be like.
#7: Isle of Dogs (2018)
PG-13/101 min./IMDb: 7.8/film #9
Twee-Mometer™ Reading/Rank (11/t#7)
Critics High & Low (3: Variety & IMDb/10: Empire)
IMDb: “Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy’s odyssey in search of his lost dog.”
The second, and more serious, of Anderson’s stop motion films, Isle of Dogs pays tribute to Japanese director Akira Kurosawa and there’s even some Godzilla nods to be seen.
Can’t argue with any of that.
#6: Asteroid City (2023)
PG-13/105 min./IMDb: 7.1/film #11
Twee-Mometer™ Reading/Rank (11/t#7)
Critics High & Low (4: EN World & Cinema Wellman/9: IMDb)
IMDb: “A grieving father travels with his tech-obsessed family to small rural Asteroid City to compete in a junior stargazing event, only to have his world view disrupted forever.”
The alien in this film is SO Wes Anderson!
They’re tattoo worthy!
The next two films are the films that were initially rated as a bomb but have earned a bomb defusal with subsequent viewings.
It’s been known to happen.
#5: Rushmore (1998)
R/93 min./IMDb: 7.6/film #2
Twee-Mometer™ Reading/Rank (10/#10)
Critics High & Low (2: Variety & Larry/10: Cinema Wellman)
IMDb: “A teenager at Rushmore Academy falls for a much older teacher and befriends a middle-aged industrialist. Later, he finds out that his love interest and his friend are having an affair, which prompts him to begin a vendetta.”
There are parts of Rushmore that I love including the school play Max produces is “Serpico,” but I guess I’m just too uncomfortable with the Bill Murray character and his relationship with Max.
I enjoy the way the story is told, and I’m a Schwartzman fan, but not this character.
#4: The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
R/110 min./IMDb: 7.6/film #3
Twee-Mometer™ Reading/Rank (11/t#7)
Critics High & Low (1: Empire/11: Cinema Wellman)
IMDb: “The eccentric members of a dysfunctional family reluctantly gather under the same roof for various reasons.”
I think I figured out why I have this ranked at the bottom (and I’m alone in that basement ranking).
The Royal Tenenbaums is just too serious for me. It’s just too bleak.
I want my twee, Wes!
I WANT MY TWEE!
There are bad fathers galore in Wes Anderson’s films and I’ve read that Royal Tenenbaum was the film dad that Wes’s real dad hopes isn’t based on him.
I had a great father, and I’ve done my best to be a great father to my girls. I can proudly say that all of my friends who have children are great fathers as well.
Because of this, it hurts me in movies (and in real life) when I see/hear about bad fathers.
There’s some Royal redemption at the end, but it’s still just not enough for me.
3: Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
PG-13/94 min./IMDb: 7.8/film #7
Twee-Mometer™ Reading/Rank (12/t#4)
Critics High & Low (1: Rotten Tomatoes & Cinema Wellman/7: Variety)
IMDb: “Two 12-year-olds, who live on an island, fall in love with each other and elope into the wilderness. While people set out on a search mission, a violent storm approaching them catches their attention.”
I asked for twee, and even though Moonrise Kingdom ranks tied for 4th on the scale I created, I think it’s the most twee of all of Anderson’s films.
Because one thing I equate with twee is sweetness, and this film has it in bundles.
I’ve spoken about this film in earlier episodes, so I won’t add much more, other than parts of this movie make me feel like Wes is giving me a hug.
Thank you, Wes.
2: Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
PG/87 min./IMDb: 7.9/film #6
Twee-Mometer™ Reading/Rank (11.5/#6)
Critics High & Low (2: IMDb & Rotten Tomatoes/6: Variety)
IMDb: “An urbane fox cannot resist returning to his farm-raiding ways and then must help his community survive the farmers’ retaliation.”
This is a delight and having George Clooney and Meryl Streep along as Mr. & Mrs. Fox makes it even more special.
It’s part heist movie, part rescue mission movie, and there’s more cutaway shots of the sets. In this case, those shots are of the underground dwellings.
If you don’t know much about making stop-motion animated films, do yourself a favor and Google that.
It’s unbelievably painstaking and time consuming.
And Wes Anderson has mastered it.
#1: The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
R/99 min./IMDb: 8.1/film #8
Twee-Mometer™ Reading/Rank (15/#2)
Critics High & Low (1: Variety, IMDb, Forbes, EN World, Larry/3 Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb: “A writer encounters the owner of an aging high-class hotel, who tells him of his early years serving as a lobby boy in the hotel’s glorious years under an exceptional concierge.”
Not going to add anything other than the fact that five of our evaluators had The Grand Budapest Hotel in the #1 spot, while the LOWEST had it at #3.
It may have the 2nd highest Twee-Mometer™ reading, but it’s a pretty solid #1 choice as the best of Wes Anderson’s 11 feature films to date.
Well, that is a wrap for our Wes Anderson LoveFest. If you’re already a fan, we hope you enjoyed our visit to his world, and if you haven’t seen any, hopefully you will soon.
If you’d like a small sample, check out some of Wes Anderson’s short films. A couple of them are actually commercials!
Available on YouTube; Castello Cavalcanti, Prada: Candy, Come Together: A Fashion Picture in Motion, and Hotel Chevalier which is dubbed as “Part 1” of The Darjeeling Limited and explains why Natalie Portman is briefly in a closing scene of Darjeeling, and nowhere else.
Shorts available on Netflix, Oscar winner The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Poison, and The Rat Catcher.
If you’re on the fence about Wes Anderson’s films, any and all of those shorts would be a most excellent place to start.
We hope you’ll join us again next week when we take a look at “Cinema Wellman Originals.”
A look into the extremely brief filmmaking career of yours truly.
Until then, take care.
