Two
twelve year-old runaways would like to remake the generic sounding Mile 3.25
Tidal Inlet into a New England version of the Blue Lagoon, but they aim to
maintain the cultural trappings of 1965 middle class America, as they relate to
it, in the process. Unfortunately, the
adult world keeps intruding on their private moments in Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom (trailer here), the opening
night film of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, which bows theatrically in New
York this Friday.
Sam
Shakusky is a terrible Khaki Scout. Actually,
his skills are not that bad, but he does not fit in socially with Scout Master
Ward’s troupe. Unbeknownst to Ward,
Shakusky is an orphan, about to get the heave-ho from his foster family. However, the sensitive scout has successfully
wooed Suzy Bishop, the eldest child of two self-absorbed yet profoundly unhappy
attorneys.
When
Shakusky fails to appear at revile one fateful morning, it sets off a manhunt
throughout New Penzance Island, taxing the meager resources of Captain Sharp,
Mrs. Bishop’s recently dumped lover.
Chastely dedicated to each other, the two fugitives would like to permanently
retreat from reality at the prosaically named inlet they duly redub “Moonrise
Kingdom.” Instead, they will repeat a cycle of chase, apprehension, and escape,
as a historic storm approaches New Penzance, as it always happens in an
island-bound story.
It
takes about ten seconds for Moonrise
Kingdom to announce itself as a Wes Anderson film, through his constantly
panning camera and the richly detailed vintage sets. Indeed, the attention to detail extends down
to the covers of the chapter-books Bishop reads aloud to Shakusky. Yet, rather than detracting from his fable-like
story, Anderson’s signature style is perfectly suited to the innocence of young
love. Focusing on young POV characters
is actually quite a shrewd strategy on his part, giving him the license to
incorporate all kinds of nostalgic eccentricity (nod to Norman Rockwell?
Check.) while staying faithful to their precocious worldview. Frankly, this is the sort of film a visual stylist
like Tim Burton ought to be making, instead of aimless tent-poles, like Dark Shadows.
As
Mr. Bishop, Anderson mainstay Bill Murray once again plays a middle-aged
depressive with deep-seated relationship woes.
Fellow alumnus Jason Schwartzman is also back for more, getting some of Moonrise’s best comedy scenes as Cousin
Ben, a slick operating senior Khaki Scout.
Indeed, the film boasts several notably colorful supporting turns,
including Bruce Willis, acting his age and playing against his action hero
persona as the put upon Captain Sharp.
Tilda Swinton also absolutely plays to the hilt the personification of
bureaucracy known simply as “Social Services,” while the mere sight of Bob
Balban’s “Narrator” in his bright crimson wardrobe generates laughter. Still, the dramatic load largely falls on the
young newcomers, Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward, who are quite emotionally engaging
leads, playing their scenes together scrupulously straight.
