The Grand Budapest Hotel Movie Review

The Grand Budapest Hotel is Wes Anderson’s latest film and what a treat it was to watch. This was my first Anderson film that I’ve had the pleasure to watch and I really loved it. On that note, I’m now really looking forward to watching Moonrise Kingdom soon since I’ve heard great things and now have a taste for his work. I will say that this film is probably going to be a hit or miss with the casual movie-goer. Either you’ll really like or you’ll feel like you wasted an hour and a half of your life. Good thing I was in the former group.

One of the things that attracted me to the film was the ensemble cast consisting of Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Willem Dafoe, Jude Law, Edward Norton and a handful of other familiar names and faces. The trailer for the film showed just enough to catch my interest and I could tell it had this quirky style to it that seemed so interesting. 

The film starts off with a visitor staying at the Grand Budapest Hotel (Jude Law) who meets the supposed owner of hotel (F. Murray Abraham). After inquiring on how he came about of owning the hotel we're taken back in time, which is where the majority of the movie takes place in. We are then introduced to Gustave H the most well known and respected concierge of the Grand Budapest and his lobby boy Zero Mustafa who becomes one of his most trusted friends. They embark on an adventure after Gustave H earns an inheritance that some believe he didn't deserve.

Anderson really does an amazing job both developing his characters and making the setting a character of its own. There are countless beautiful shots of the countryside throughout the film that are breathtaking and the humor in the movie is just great. It balances some serious themes while still being light-hearted and very enjoyable. The movie also jumps around between different time lines but it's really not hard to follow. I really recommend this movie and feel like it's something you have to see to really understand and enjoy. I hope this review at least sparked your interest for this film. I give The Grand Budapest Hotel an 8.5 out of 10 and hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did!