DVD Mini Review - The Darjeeling Limited

I am not a big fan of Wes Anderson's films. The only one I liked was The Royal Tenenbaums and I think that had to do mostly with Gene Hackman's terrific performance. I avoided seeing The Darjeeling Express in the theater because it did not pull me in. I decided to rent it and found that my original vibes about the film were correct.

The story is about three brothers played by Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman. They are far from close but after their father's death they try to get past old wounds. They embark on a "spiritual" journey of India. You would think that a story like this would be filled with emotion but it isn't. The story seems to be more about luggage than anything else. The way the film is shot is nice - it must have looked good on the big screen. And the sound track is wonderful. But that is about it. The three brothers are never fully developed. Brody isn't bad but both Wilson and Schwartzman are quite stiff. The film just doesn't go anywhere.
The great Irfan Khan has a small role in the film and it was a pleasure to see him. Angelica Houston is also in the film but I don't want to say who she played.

Before Darjeeling there is a short film entitled Hotel Chevalier. It is actually better than the feature film and that is because Natalie Portman is in it. She conveys more emotion in this short film that the three actors convey in the 90 minutes of the feature film. Hotel Chevalier sheds some light on Schwartzman's character.

All in all, I do not recommend this film. It is not a terrible film just a very bland one.