What is it?
The Grand Budapest Hotel is the new film from Wes Anderson, the man behind The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited and Moonrise Kingdom.
So it’s another over-stylised tale of dysfunctional families?
Not this time. Set in an elegant hotel in a fictional Eastern European country in the 1930s, concierge extraordinaire Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) believes good etiquette is the answer to everything: including inappropriate sexual escapades, a murder charge and advancing Nazis.
Who’s in it?
Who isn’t in it? Jude Law, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Adrien Brody, Bill Murray, Saoirse Ronan, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Owen Wilson and many others. But most are little more than blink-and-you’ll-miss-them cameos: this is the Ralph Fiennes show. He has never been so funny.
Ralph Fiennes can be funny?
I know, right? Funny, sweary and really rather charming all at the same time
OK, more importantly, tell me about the clothes.
From the Vuitton luggage in The Darjeeling Limited to one of our all-time style icons (The Royal Tenenbaums’ Margot), Anderson has always been fashion’s favourite filmmaker. The clothes in Grand Budapest Hotel are by Milena Canonero, who created the stunning costumes in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. And Gustave’s luggage is Prada, obvs.
What are they saying?
“It's a filigree toy box of a movie, so delicious-looking you may want to lick the screen. It is also, in the Anderson manner, shot through with humor, heartbreak and a bruised romantic's view of the past.” – Rolling Stone
What are we saying?
Fiennes is perfect, and Tilda Swinton and Bill Murray are fabulous in their small roles. Fans of Anderson’s other films will not be disappointed by this beautifully crafted, hilariously deadpan, achingly stylish confection. Even the Wes Anderson haters who say they find him too twee and whimsical could be won over.
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.