The Darjeeling Limited

We enjoy all things Wes Anderson, the director of such Gordon favorites as Rushmore (1998), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), and even the critically-panned The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004). So we were met with great joy when "The Darjeeling Limited" was to grace the Greensboro movie screens this past autumn. Sadly, the film endured a frighteningly miniscule stay in our town, and our work schedules thwarted an attempt to view it before it left. Luckily, it made a return engagement this past Friday to the Carousel Cinema in one of their quaint, tiny theaters seating maybe 40 people or so. We were off this weekend, so a Saturday matinee was in store.

Enjoy the trailer:


"The Darjeeling Limited" is a story about three brothers who, a year after their father's death and their mother's pointed absence from the funeral, make a spiritual journey through India. The eldest brother promotes it to the others as a way to find their center and come together again as brothers. However, there is an ulterior motive by the eldest to get the siblings to find their mother who has stolen away to the Himalayas to run a convent. The boys find their destination is not as important and life-altering as the journey itself.

In typical Anderson style, there is the theme of a dysfunctional family, novel cinematic angles (the overhead shot in particular), a robust mix of triumph followed by disappointment, and an underlying level of melancholy in each character. It was another fun Wes Anderson ride and we were sad to have to get off once the final credits rolled.

On the Gordon Scale, we both gave the "The Darjeeling Limited" a strong Matinee vote. If there were pluses and minuses in our grading, it would have garnered a "Full-Price Minus".