Happy Anniversary to Wes Anderson’s most underrated movie
"I wonder if it remembers me."
2024 has been a big year for movie milestones, with classics like The Notebook, Mean Girls, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind all turning 20, but perhaps none are quite as deserving of a rewatch as Wes Anderson’s (criminally underrated) The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou.
When holding a magnifying glass to Wes Anderson’s catalog of films, it’s easy to get lost in the dreamlike, pastel-hued worlds of The Grand Budapest Hotel or the more recent Asteroid City. His deliberate color pallet, symmetry, charmingly dry humor, and retro aesthetic make for nostalgic watches that, over Anderson’s nearly 30-year career, have captured the hearts of Letterboxd film bros far and wide.
Still, it’s safe to say that most young cinephiles were introduced to Anderson’s work circa 2009 thanks to his stop-motion hit Fantastic Mr. Fox. While the George Clooney-fronted classic is, without a doubt, a great jumping-off point for Anderson’s filmography, it does point to a troubling truth: a lot of fans are missing out on the first half of his career.
You’re missing out on the best chapter of Wes Anderson’s career, probably
Anderson’s first feature-length film, Bottle Rocket, was released in 1996, for which he enlisted his two pals, Owen and Luke Wilson, to play leads Dignan and Anthony. The early part of Anderson’s career can be defined by its unapologetic earnestness, thanks to micro budgets, some crafty filmmaking, and a whole lot of luck (the Wilson family just happened to be close friends with producer Polly Platt).
And perhaps no entry in the Wes Anderson collection embodies said earnestness better than The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. Although it could be argued that Rushmore and The Darjeeling Limited (also criminally underrated) deserve the honor, The Life Aquatic most deserves a second chance. Currently, the film sits at a measly 57% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite boasting an all-star cast of Anderson’s usual players, including Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston, Cate Blanchett, and Willem Dafoe, the movie wasn’t well-received upon its debut in 2004, and bombed at the box office. The late American film critic Robert Ebert even joked in his review that the main crew “would seem slack-witted to SpongeBob.” Ouch.
The Life Aquatic follows washed-up oceanographer Steve Zissou (Murray) as he takes to the seas to seek revenge on a “jaguar shark” (one of the film’s many fictitious claymation sea creatures) that ate his partner Esteban. Zissou is a sort of downtrodden Jacques Cousteau figure, struggling to find his “spark” after his latest documentary fell flat with viewers.
Aboard Zissou’s ship, the Belafonte, we meet his estranged wife Eleanor (Huston) and the rest of the eclectic crew and (unpaid) interns, as well as Ned Plimpton (Wilson), who believes he might be Zissou’s son. Pregnant journalist Jane Winslett-Richardson (Blanchett) is assigned to cover the voyage and finds herself in the middle of a love triangle involving Ned and Steve.
Throughout the film, Anderson strikes a jarring mix of humor and tragedy. One moment, Steve engages in a shootout with pirates. The next, the Belfonte crew gathers for a funeral set to the somber “The Way I Feel Inside” by The Zombies. It’s ironic, silly, and harrowing all at once—an unspoken truth about life itself, how everything can change at the drop of a hat.
One of the key moments happens towards the end, as Steve has found his “spark” in the form of those who accept him in spite of every mistake he’s made. When Steve breaks down, crying in a submarine, those around him give him comfort, and he, in turn, lets go, allowing himself to love and be loved for the first time in his life.
Of course, we also have to address the score. If Wes Anderson movies are good for one thing, it’s their kickass soundtracks, from classic Rolling Stones bops to slower ballads from The Kinks. Mark Mothersbaugh, however, pulled off a truly unique hat trick for The Life Aquatic, featuring several David Bowie covers by Seu Jorge, all recorded in Portuguese. Memorably, an acoustic rendition of “Space Oddity” plays while the Belafonte is boarded by pirates. It’s the kind of absurdist humor that makes Anderson’s films so endearing.
The soul-weary pain of Steve Zissou and his journey to self-actualization is just as sobering as The Royal Tenenbaums, even if it takes more creative liberties with its storytelling. Like any certified Wes Anderson banger, The Life Aquatic contains the best of his talents, including his ability to make even the most unsympathetic characters, well, sympathetic. Steve contains multitudes, and his brash persona is simply a mask. He’s unwaveringly tragic and, in the end, a more empathetic person, making his plight a touching full circle moment.
Thankfully, the years have been kind to The Life Aquatic, and it’s gradually been reappraised as a cult classic. The film had the near-impossible task of following on the heels of The Royal Tenenbaums, and in its own, strange way, it delivered.
So, here’s to celebrating the 20th anniversary of this misunderstood Wes Anderson masterpiece.
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