The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
From the the stop-frame animated underwater creatures, to the wonderful deadpan gags, to the Seu Jorge/David Bowie soundtrack, there are plenty of stylistic strokes of genius to enjoy here. But it's Bill Murray, staring out glumly into the abyss with a red cap and Papa Smurf beard, at the heart of The Life Aquatic. It's a tour-de-force of Murray's talents – only he could be a juvenile, ignorant, disenchanted sad-sack and still be a movie's hilarious hero, let alone top your imaginary dinner guest wish-list. On top of all the attention to detail and charm writer/director Wes Anderson pours into the film, it's also hilarious and the director's funniest film yet.
2004Rating: M, for language, some drug use, violence and partial nudity119 minsUSA
AdventureComedyFestival & Independent
- Director:
- Wes Anderson ('Bottle Rocket', 'Rushmore', 'The Royal Tenenbaums')
- Writer:
- Wes AndersonNoah Baumbach
- Cast:
- Bill MurrayOwen WilsonCate BlanchettAnjelica HustonWillem DafoeJeff GoldblumMichael GambonBud CortSeu Jorge
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou | Reviews
56%225 reviewsRotten Tomatoes® Score
All reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
The New York Times
The actor's (Murray) quiet, downcast presence modulates the antic busyness that encircles him, and his performance is a triumph of comic minimalism.
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Rolling Stone
Wilson drops the ironic smirk to give a sincerely affecting performance. His scenes with Murray provide the ballast when the script veers off into unconvincing pirate attacks and animated sea creatures.
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Roger Ebert
The damnedest film. I can't recommend it, but I would not for one second discourage you from seeing it.
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Los Angeles Times
An exquisitely evocative movie that elevates rueful melancholia to a superpower.
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Hollywood Reporter
Wonderfully weird and wistful adventure-comedy about a fish-out-of-water oceanographer.
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