Moonrise Kingdom (2012) – Two bright and mature 12 year olds with face many obstacles when they fall in love and want to run off together. Along the way they will fight battles, face hardships, survive a hurricane and lightning strike and maybe get married along the way.
Does every review of a Wes Anderson movie begin with some variation of “You either like Wes Anderson movies or you don’t”? Anderson creates worlds that teeter on the edge of reality and fantasy without ever fully committing to either. Thus his worlds look very normal but feel otherwise. In the end you either like that feel or you don’t. I always enjoy my trips to his worlds.
This is his usual eccentric tale filled with strange and wonderful details. The girl, Suzy, decides that she needs to bring along her brother’s battery powered record player when they escape. Plus a kitten. And six rather strange books she’s stolen from the library. There is a pitched battle between the young lovers and a band of “Khaki Scouts” sent out to return Sam (the boy) and Suzy. As with everything in the movie, it all looks right (two kids run away, you send out search parties) but it doesn’t quite feel right (the Khaki Scouts are an intersting group).
Critics gave uniformly good reviews and the movie finished at #74 for the year in gross revenues.
Why I Liked It – A great ensemble cast (another Anderson trademark) including Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Jason Schwartzman. Each of them approaches their characters with a simple solemnity as they wander through the rather odd world they find themselves in.
Why You Will Like It – There’s something warm and beautiful at the heart of the love story here. A 12 year olds understanding of “falling in love” does exist in its own world, just a half a bubble off from what the rest of us know. Anderson delivers that world beautifully.
Rated PG-13 for sexual content and smoking
Rating – ****
Stories Are My Life 
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