Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson's films are always immediately recognizable; this is no exception.  The same hue, centered photography, facetious dialogue, ensemble cast, and a certain light-hardheartedness.  Moonrise Kingdom is more playful than serious, so if you're expecting The Royal Tenenbaums, this isn't it.  It falls more along the lines of Rushmore in terms of tone.

The film is led by newcomers Kara Hayward and Jared Gilman, both of whom have positives and negatives about them.  Gilman's (Sam) comedic style and timing generally agrees with Anderson's dialogue, but at times it feels a bit awkward, usually it fit quite well.  Kara, as Suzy, has a very Margot Tenenbaum feel to her, though I wasn't always convinced by her performance.

Moonrise Kingdom takes place on a small, simple island, where two preteens (Sam, Suzy) decide to run away together. The two escape together as the ensemble cast begins to reveal itself amongst the escape.  Edward Norton, reverting to his Death to Smoochy comedic approach, which meshes perfectly, is the Khaki Scout leader from which Sam escapes.  Bruce Willis plays the local police officer attempting to track down the two missing kids.  Suzy's parents are played by Bill Murray and Frances McDormand.  Both are in less prominent roles, but they deliver their fair share of laughs, Murray perhaps the biggest.

The two kids run through the woods and try to live peacefully as seemingly the rest of the island looks for them.  Norton commands his search party of Khaki Scout troops, Willis organizes the townspeople and seeks outside help, and the parents lend their share of information.  There is the occasional side plot, but none of them are honestly well developed or terribly relevant.  They're merely glossed over, and don't add much to the story, specifically Willis and McDormand's, but I don't really consider this a big enough factor to even be a negative aspect of the film.

As long as you aren't expecting something profound and dramatic, I wouldn't expect anyone to really be let down by Moonrise Kingdom.  It's charming, witty, funny, and at times, unpredictable.  It doesn't rate up there with Anderson's best, but it doesn't really seem like that's what he was aiming for.  The only real drawbacks I can call upon are the occasional misfires of the children's acting, but it's never that distracting or off.

Fans of Anderson will likely enjoy the film, and leave happy.

B+