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Actors: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou |
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Once successful but now somewhat washed-up marine scientist and documentary filmmaker Steve Zissou (Murray) is low on funding when he proposes to seek and destroy the possibly mythical shark who he says ate his partner. The expedition not only includes his usual goofy team, including Klaus Daimler (Dafoe), but a young man who claims to be his long-lost son Ned Plimpton (Wilson), and a lovely journalist Jane Winslett-Richardson (Blanchett) who's working on a story about Zissou. His wealthy but estranged wife Eleanor (Huston) wishes him well and his producer-backer Oseary Drakoulias (Michael Gambon) scrambles to find money.
The crew of the "Belafonte" get off to a roaring start by raiding a scientific platform run by Zissou's more successful rival Alistair Hennessey (Goldblum) and stealing equipment and gear, including an espresso machine. Then they're attacked by Filippino pirates in the Pacific, who kidnap the accountant Bill Ubell (Bud Cort), sent by the financiers to keep an eye on the project. Can Zissou track down the shark and finish his last film? Can he win back Eleanor? Is Ned his real son, and which of them will win the favor of Jane? This wacky 2004 movie by Wes Anderson, who also wrote and directed "Rushmore" and "The Royal Tenenbaums," is a hoot.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Comedy, primarily
Yes
Time/era of movie:
- present (2000-2010)
If a parody... of
- documentaries
Kind of comedy
- adults acting eccentric
How much humor v. drama
- Mostly humor, but some serious drama
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- scientist
Age:
- 40's-50's
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
- deluded
Body type
- (man) fat
Unclothed?
- Chest
Events of movie makes character more...
- irritated
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Dumb?
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- blonde
Hair style
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) average build
Unclothed?
- chest
How much in movie?
- 80%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- scientist
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 20%
Hair color
- brunette (Black)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) skinny
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Asia/Pacific/Middle East
Yes
Asian country:
- Pacific Islands
Water?
Yes
Water:
- submarining
- scuba under
Misc setting
- scientific labs
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Movie makes you feel...
- full of laughter
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
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 David Loftus
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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