TCH News

Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: Entertainment

Known for quirky independent films like "Bottle Rocket," "Rushmore," and "The Royal Tenenbaums," director Wes Anderson continues his tradition with "The Darjeeling Limited," which was recently released on DVD.

It follows three estranged brothers, played by Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman, who take a train trip through India in an effort to regain the bond they used to share. Indian medicine, a poisonous snake,and pepper spray, however, derail their journey. They soon find themselves kicked off the train and stranded, leading them on an entirely different adventure.

The film has several strong points. The cast is great, but with heavy hitters Brody and Anjelica Huston, who plays the brothers' emotionally closed-off mother, it is expected. They have no problem transitioning from comedy, like brotherly arguments that escalate too far, to more dramatic scenes, like confronting their mother about not attending their father's funeral. The film also showcases the beauty of India and its culture. Many of the scenic shots, especially towards the end, are breathtaking.

The DVD has the short film "Hotel Chevalier," which is supposed to be watched before the actual film. It explains the on-and-off-again relationship between Jason Schwartzman's character and his girlfriend, played by Natalie Portman. Their flawed romance is mentioned frequently throughout "The Darjeeling Limited," most notably when Schwartzman hacks into Portman's answering machine messages whenever he is by a phone to see what she is up to. Without watching the short prior to the actual film the brief (about 10 seconds brief) cameo Portman makes appears very random.

Overall the film's 91 minute runtime drags. Although the scenes flow into each other well the script never seems to be able to catch up. For example, the symbolic leaving behind of the brothers' luggage, which was left to them by their father and carried throughout the whole film, as 'getting rid of excess baggage' came off as forced.

There is nothing about the film that leaves a long-lasting impression. Halfway through interest and focus begin to waver and time starts passing more slowly. By the time the movie begins to end, obviously, by tying up loose plot ends, confusion about exactly what the film was about sets in.

"The Darjeeling Limited" is rated "R" for language.

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