Many authors are famous for their range – Paul Thomas Anderson, the Coen brothers, Altman, Kubrick, Scorsese… the list goes on and on. The greatest merit of these masters is that they are not attached to any genre or style, but only to their own greatness. Wes Andersom is a man of many talents, but this one is not one of them. In a certain sense, watching one of his films is like ordering your favorite dish in a restaurant.
Bottle Rocket (1996)
“Bottle Rocket” is a benefit performance by the Wilson brothers that tells the story of two crazy friends who are in the business of conceiving heists. Here Wes Anderson has not quite decided on his creative style yet, he decided to expand the 13-minute short film into a full-fledged film, and the result came out not without flaws.
The Aquatic Life of Steve Zissou (2004)
The film takes you on a reflective journey across the seven seas aboard the Belafonte, the boat of renowned oceanographer Steve Zissou. For the protagonist, the quest to find and destroy the elusive shark that killed his partner becomes a life-saving adventure in which he gets a chance to confront his inner demons and mend his relationship with his son.
Rushmore (1998)
In many ways, Rushmore was a turning point for Anderson, where he showed he’d grown out of Bottle Rocket shorts and finally matured as a director. This story introduces us to teenager Max Fischer, a recluse and slacker who is still trying to figure out what his interests and goals in life are. It must be said that making a film in 1998 about a neurotic and almost unbearable teenager was quite a brave act.
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
All Wes Anderson films boil down to the same idea – harmless but adventurous stories in a cozy colorful wrapper. In Moonlight Kingdom, he captures the sense of wonder and wonder of early life when the whole world seems ready to fall into your hands. The story begins with two rebellious twelve-year-olds, Sam and Susie, deciding to run away from home together, an idea that everyone at that age has had at least once. Drenched in the warm yellow filter Wes loved so much, this romantic film is set against a backdrop of 1960s New England, the perfect backdrop for what is arguably his most beautiful film to date.
The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
It seems that no other work has been received so coolly in its time. After the death of their father, three brothers who were not on the best of terms with each other are forced to bury the hatchet and engage in long-overdue soul-searching while traveling by train through India. This film is far from a failure, in fact, “Darjeeling” is one of the most interesting works in Anderson’s work.
Isle of Dogs (2018)
“Isle of Dogs” came out after a four-year hiatus, the longest of Anderson’s career to date. In a way, as wonderful as it was, it was destined to fall prey to the high expectations of a film that came after such a cannon as The Grand Budapest Hotel.
French Herald (2021)
For better or for worse, The French Messenger is the most Andersonian of all the Anderson films the world has ever seen. For those who revel in his author’s style, the new work will be a joyful event. Others are likely to find him too cloying even by his own standards.
Asteroid City (2023)
Asteroid City is set in 1955, in a cratered town that appeared after an asteroid hit thousands of years ago. The main characters of the picture are students and their parents from all over the country who are sent to the congress of young astronomers and space cadets. The cast of the film includes Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston, Liev Schreiber, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum and others.
Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
The fact that one of the most influential films of the last decade didn’t even make the top 2 on this list speaks volumes about the nature of Wes Anderson’s talent. But in a purely technical sense, it’s safe to say that The Grand Budapest is the pinnacle of Anderson’s skill as a director.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
The dysfunctional Tenenbaum family unfolds before the viewer some of the best and deepest characters in Anderson’s entire creative heritage. The film is definitely impressive in that it doesn’t try to shy away from the complex themes that haunt our troubled heroes, and that gives the story its proper weight and feel. As for the general melancholic mood, you can’t imagine anything better here.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
It’s an endlessly charming adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book. “Mr. Fox” walks a narrow path between an adult film disguised as a children’s film and a children’s film disguised as an adult. Approximately 90 minutes Fantastic Mr. Fox” says a simple but powerful message: no one is perfect, we are all a little stubborn and selfish, but sometimes it’s enough just to try to be the best version of ourselves. By and large, I guess, the point of any Wes Anderson movie comes down to this.