Groovymarlin.com

The Darjeeling Limited. Why do I like this movie? So much that I watch it just about every time I happen to surf past it on one of our many channels? I just don’t know.

I guess maybe this confirms that I am a Wes Anderson fan. To be a fan of Wes Anderson, you have to enjoy quirky, off-kilter, slightly comedic movies where (it seems) not a lot really happens. It also helps if you enjoy Owen Wilson.

A quick review of Wes Anderson films:

- Bottle Rocket: I didn’t see it. Well, I’ve seen parts of it. But it didn’t seem like something I’d like that much, so I’ve never been motivated to try to see more of it.

- Rushmore: LOVED it. Probably my favorite Anderson film so far. Started my obsession with Jason Schwartzman.

- The Royal Tenenbaums: it was OK. It had it’s awesome elements, like the narration by Alec Baldwin, Gene Hackman’s performance, and Luke Wilson. But it also had some lame stuff in it, like Gwyneth Paltrow doing emo intellectual girl.

- The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou: I did like it, and actually I like it more each time that I see it. Willem Dafoe = awesome. Anjelica Houston = awesome. Bill Murray = awesome. Actually, just about everyone in this movie was awesome.

And that brings us to The Darjeeling Limited, which I definitely like. I don’t love it, but I definitely like it, and this is what puzzles me. It’s not a great movie by any means, but I still really enjoy it, and it’s kind of driving me crazy. It even has elements that annoy me, like the flashback to the day of their father’s funeral. And that ugly luggage. And how Owen Wilson’s face looks with all those bandages. A one-sentence summary of the plot would be: three spoiled, rich brothers go on a train trip through India and engage in lots of self-indulgent, obnoxious behavior which somehow brings them closer together even as it alienates everyone else they come in contact with.

Actually, it sounds like an awesome vacation. So maybe I like it because secretly, it’s one of my travel fantasies.