The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

I know in my last post that I said I couldn't list my top 5 movies. However, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou would have to be on my top 5 list.

I don't even know where to begin. This movie is so awesome on so many levels. Let's start with the director. It was directed by Wes Anderson. Should I continue or is that reason enough to run out there and purchase this movie so you can watch it at any moment? We will continue just in case...it was written by Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach (Of The Squid and the Whale fame). And the cast, oh man, the cast! Bill Murray, Kate Blanchet, Angelica Huston, Owen Wilson, Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe, etc., etc., etc. How can any movie with that cast not be a tremendous success. I don't normally say this but even the Soundtrack was out of this world.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is a comedy. It covers the dry comical intricacies of growing older, family relationships, leaving a legacy, lost love, new found love, celebrity, marriage, self-grandeur, friendships, and trying to do what's best in a life that often doesn't cooperate with good intentions. It is like other Wes Anderson movies in its humor and wittiness. I would venture as far as to say that The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is the best Wes Anderson movie ever made.

Bill Murray plays Steve Zissou. Steve Zissou was a world famous marine explorer that made movies. However, with time his popularity and celebrity faded as new generations of his audience lost interest in marine exploration. In Steve's last movie his friend is killed by an unidentified shark. The loss of his friend and his failing celebrity is too much for Zissou and he decided that he will find and kill the shark that killed his friend no matter what. At the same time a possibly illegimate child of Steve's (played by Owen Wilson) show up to meet his supposed dad. Steve invites this possible son to join his crew and hunt the unidentified shark down to make up for lost time. Steve all along is having troubles with his wife (Angelica Huston) and competing with his arch nemisis (Jeff Goldblum) who also had an affair with each other. As Steve starts his final journey to find the shark that killed his best friend he takes on a reporter (Cate Blanchett) who is pregnant and newly single that wants to do a puff piece on Steve Zissou. The reporters arrival on the ship sets up a competition between Steve and his son over who can win her over even though she explicitly turned down Steve and embraced Ned (Steve's son). Meanwhile, the crew, really a group of losers and unpaid interns seeking college credit try and keep up with all the antics and problems there captain Steve Zissou gets them into. The race is on for the shark because the money is running out and everyone feels more intensley the need to abondan Steve Zissou. As you can imagine the movie covers a wide spectrum of feelings and emotions in a very comical manner. Everything works out in the course of the journey. Even the shark is sparred when they ultimately find it.

Go out there and rent or purchase this movie! I'm serious...do it! Do it now!

Other info:
Wes Anderson's upcoming movie is Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Wes Anderson's second best movie (in my opinion) is Bottle Rocket
Owen Wilson's first movie was Bottle Rocket
Angelica Huston, Bill Murray, and Cate Blanchett will be in Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Wes Anderson tends to use many of the same characters in all of his films.
Cate Blanchett will be in the remake of Robin Hood alongside Russell Crowe