Movie Review: "The Darjeeling Limited" (2007)

The Essentials

Title: The Darjeeling Limited (official site)
Directed by Wes Anderson
Written by Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola, and Jason Schwartzman
Running Time: 1:31
Release Date: October 26, 2007
MPAA Rating: R for language.

The Plot of “The Darjeeling Limited”

Three American brothers who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other — to become brothers again like they used to be. Their “spiritual quest”, however, veers rapidly off-course (due to events involving over-the-counter pain killers, Indian cough syrup, and pepper spray), and they eventually find themselves stranded alone in the middle of the desert with eleven suitcases, a printer, and a laminating machine. At this moment, a new, unplanned journey suddenly begins.

The Story of “The Darjeeling Limited”

Francis (Owen Wilson) has invited his brothers, Jack (Jason Schwartzman) and Peter (Adrien Brody), to join him on a train trip for a spiritual quest through India. The brothers have been estranged since their father’s sudden death, and each is now embroiled in his own personal drama. Jack is being toyed with by his two-timing girlfriend, Peter’s wife is about to give birth, and Francis recently survived a car crash that nearly killed him. As the train chugs its way across India, the brothers try to reconnect, but mainly end up arguing and sharing pharmaceuticals. Francis admits that the real reason he lured them there is because he wants them to visit their mother (Anjelica Huston), who is living in a convent in the Himalayas. Peter and Jack are none too pleased with this plan, and immediately want to go home. The trip hits another snag when they are kicked off the train for a series of offenses. Stranded with their mountain of matching luggage, Peter and Jack are now insistent upon leaving. However, they suddenly find themselves brought together by an deadly accident involving some Indian children. The tragedy unites them, and they decide to continue on to their mother. Their visit with her proves revelatory, and they begin their journey homeward free of both their literal and metaphorical baggage.

The Review of “The Darjeeling Limited”

I should start off by saying that I’m a huge Wes Anderson fan. Everyone isn’t. I personally think his movies are incredibly funny and Rushmore is one of my all time favorite comedies. Having said that, I wasn’t that excited about seeing The Darjeeling Limited when it hit the theaters which explains why I didn’t see it until it came out on DVD.

All of Wes Anderson’s usual bag of tricks come to play in this, his fifth feature film. His frames are stuffed with impeccable sets constructed of vibrant colors and excessive attention to detail. The whimsical nature of his other films is present too, complete with the underlying melancholy that seems to saturate every character he creates. Anderson’s tastes in music, clothes, and cars is always interesting and always eccentric. You’ll not find fault with the camera work on a Wes Anderson film, nor will you find a weak performance from an actor.

So in many ways, The Darjeeling Limited is exactly like Wes Anderson’s other films. Yet, somehow, it’s completely different. The same sense of humor can be found buried beneath the quiet looks and witty dialogue, but this film has more of a “grown-up” feel to it; like something serious happened to Anderson in real life so he felt he must now make more serious films.

The Whitman brothers are not happy people. Francis, Jack and Peter Whitman are as in need of a spiritual journey as any three brothers who have graced the screen. The three of them are obviously lost, seeing the world around them with soulless eyes and hampered by unnatural attachments to their dead father’s objects. It is the oldest brother, Francis (played by Owen Wilson) who recognizes there is a problem. It is Francis who organizes the trip through India and it is Francis who knows that he must help them all find their mother and get closure on their father’s death if they are to get better. At least he recognizes the problem. He is, of course, too damaged to actually adequately pull off such a journey.

It is the attempt of the journey that is the heart of the film. It is the interactions of the brothers that makes the film work. At first glance the three actors are so dissimilar it seems odd that they could possibly play brothers. It is that apparent dissimilarity, however, that opens our eyes to all the little things, the subtleties, that the actors incorporate that make their brotherhood believable. And entertaining. The screenplay, of course, is to thank for much of what is good about these interactions.

The way the writers are able to work in little things, little pieces of dialogue and mannerisms was really good. I especially liked how Owen Wilson’s character was the big brother the whole time, always telling the others what to do and laying out plans for them like they were about to invade Normandy. The two brothers, despite not always agreeing, simply obeyed. The audience begins to think there’s no way anyone would take this sort of thing from their brother…and then we meet their mom…who’s just like Francis (Owen Wilson) and it all seems so perfect.

In fact, there’s a lot of stuff going on in this screenplay if you care to dig for it or think about it. You don’t have to. Some of it’s obvious (which I’ll get to in a moment) and you can simply enjoy the film as a lighthearted comedy full of witty jokes and snappy dialogue. However, for those who long for their comedies to mean more, Anderson and the other writers have provided us and the characters with long lists of neuroses and emotional issues to explore at leisure. Indeed, almost every action these guys take is a result of some emotional damage they’ve suffered in the past (and continue to suffer). A psychologist could work a lifetime on this family and never completely finish the task.

The brothers in the story are hampered by baggage, both real and emotional. The baggage serves as an all too obvious metaphor for the theme of the film, of course. Once the brothers lose the baggage (literally), they are able to shed their own baggage (figuratively). It’s a bit obvious for a Wes Anderson audience. It’s the subtle that we appreciate, and this was not subtle.

Still, though, there’s a certain joy in watching a Wes Anderson film. He has the rare ability to carry an audience with him on the journey he wants them to take and have them appreciate it when it’s over even if they don’t want to. At times I found myself wondering how long the movie had been going, but I never wanted to actually look away. I wanted the film to keep going because for every uninteresting or boring bit of dialogue Anderson might give us, he’s capable of giving us another scene that is completely brilliant. The film is funny, in a Wes Anderson sort of way. It’s also sad.

Many of Anderson’s regular cast show up in this film as well (even if only briefly) Anderson certainly knows how to get a performance from these actors and by now his steady troupe of entertainers know how to perform the way he wants them to as well. Adrien Brody was a nice addition to the regular stable of characters.

If you really want to get a firm grip on the emotion of the theme of The Darjeeling Limited, I highly recommend watching the short film Hotel Chevalier which is available on the DVD. The short was filmed as a prologue to the movie and is better than the film in a lot of ways. At the very least it is a perfect emotional introduction to the film and helps to explain much of what you will see in the movie. It also has some of the best dialogue…and Natalie Portman’s nude derriere.

Watch “The Darjeeling Limited” If…

You like Wes Anderson films. Possibly is you’re a Owen Wilson fan. Definitely if you’re a Jason Schwartzman fan. However, if you think Epic Movie was funnier than Rushmore…skip this because you aren’t going to understand the humor.