Directed by Wes Anderson Starring Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe » View on IMDB Rated 3.5/5.0, based on 254 reviews. Buy from Amazon: New price: $12.50 Used price: $4.86

Quirky and irresistable
Rating: 4/5
I recently watched this film for the second time (I first saw it when it was initially released on DVD) and I enjoyed it more the second time than I did the first.

The movie has an almost surreal, dream-like quality about it. Many of the sea creatures are stop-motion animated rather than CGI which sort of lends a tongue-in-cheek quality to the whole experience. The music (mostly David Bowie songs, but also a "score" that sounds like it was composed and performed on a $20.00 Casio keyboard - another quirky touch courtesy of Mark Mothersbaugh of "Devo" fame) doesn't really seem to fit into the context of the film, but somehow it just WORKS.

There are many pop (and not so "pop") cultural references and gags throughout the film, but you must keep a sharp eye and ear open for many of them ("Not this one, Klaus" is a phrase that is obviously an homage to Francois Trauffaut's "Jules and Jim" - cute.)

I wouldn't say the film is laugh-out-loud funny, but there are many humorous turns of phrase and a few scenes of physical comedy than put a smile on your face. Bill Murray's deadpan delivery of his lines in fiendish. Zissou is a jerk, but you can't help but love him.

The set for Zissou's boat, the "Bellefonte" (another pop reference to Cousteau's own boat, the "Calypso") is obviously just that; a set. You can see how the actors are walking through doors to get from one room to the next depite the obvious fact that there are no walls on one side of all of the rooms. Another great "surreal" touch.

This movie may not be for everyone due to it's intense quirkiness, but I found it to be very original and a refreshing change of pace from the usual trash Hollywood likes to dish out on a regualr basis.

And, by the way, if Jacques-Yves Cousteau had been alive to see this film, I think he would have found it delightful and been honored by the tribute to him that this film obviously is.

Please give this film a try, but keep an open mind.

Classic Bill Murray
Rating: 5/5
Bill Murray is great in this flick, and teamed with Wes Anderson, it's a sure bet.

Funny
Rating: 4/5
If you don't know anything about this film, please realize that you aren't going to laugh like you might have in Meet the Parents or Old School. It isn't that kind of movie. It's a lot like The Royal Tenenbaums (The Criterion Collection) so, if you liked that film, this one is a good fit for you. I found the story pretty creative and fun to see what came of it, but I didn't have expectations of things being realistic or easy to follow. I also think the acting in this movie is terrific.

Just a little late
Rating: 4/5
DVD was fine, but I got it the day after Christmas! Luckily my daughter got so many gifts that she enjoyed getting one the day after all her others!