The Darjeeling Limited - Review

The Darjeeling Limited focuses on 3 wealthy American brothers traveling through India by train. Their trip is partly a spiritual quest, partly an attempt to reconnect — first among themselves, and later with their rogue mother.

I found the film very enjoyable. I liked the oddball characters, the unpredictable dialog, and the strange brand of humor. I happen to really like Wes Anderson films (e.g. Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums) and this film — his latest — was very much in keeping with the overall tone and quirkiness of his previous work.

Some of the people watching the movie with me were less than impressed, though. They were annoyed that the film meandered along without strong forward propulsion. They said they would have preferred more action and fewer unusual elements.

The film got a 67% “freshness” rating via Tomatometer, but that doesn’t give the full picture. It really comes down to taste on this one. If you like quirky, character-driven films, you’ll like this a lot. If you like a lot of action and conventional drama or comedy, then film will probably bore you.

The three brothers are played by Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Oscar-winner Adrien Brody. The mother is played by Anjelica Huston, and there are cameos by Natalie Portman and Bill Murray.