I think this is the first time I've seen Bruce Willis in a film in many, many years where he doesn't drop the f-bomb. He also had hair, so maybe this film was more of a fantasy than it seemed at first blush.
This is a quirky little film. It takes place in September 1965 but seems like it could take place a decade earlier. It is both a film about an adventure that some kids have, while also having the female lead read from her favorite books which are about kids having a fantastical adventure. I guess that makes it kind of meta. It's not only an adventure that some kids are having, but the reaction of the (few) adults in their lives. By the end we can see that two bachelors are actually the heroes and both save Sam and Suzi in their own way.
The cast for this film is amazing, with the aforementioned Willis, along with Ed Norton, Frances McDorman, Bill Murray and Harvey Keitel, not to mention all of the young actors, led by Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward. The acting often doesn't feel natural, but it does feel perfect for this little world that is set up. The kids all act like adults while the adults are busy trying to come to terms with the secrets each bears.
I definitely recommend this film, but it might be too weird for the more mainstream crowd. I don't know, I guess the Cohen brothers do well enough and this is no quirkier than one of their films, even if it is a little less antagonistic, which is good since it seems to be aimed at kids. But of course this is a Wes Anderson film as you would guess by the actors associated with this project, not to mention the quirkiness (see above). It's really more like Anderson-lite to be honest. It felt like all of the dark side was stripped away. Sure the 12 year old girl has some issues, but everyone in the film just dismisses them, and I guess so do I. It's almost like this is his (Anderson) take on the other side of the family question, an answer if you will to the Royal Tenenbaums.
Moonrise Kingdom at IMDb
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