The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

I went to see The Life Aquatic (click for a review) on Sunday and the movie left me... Puzzled, I guess. Although, that really isn't the right word. It's a movie that sticks in your brain kind of like a bit of chewy candy you get stuck in your teeth and have to pick at for a bit before you can get it out.

After some thought, I'd have to call the movie eccentric, just as you would call the character of Steve Zissou. While some movies try to be purposely bizarre and come off like a bad acid trip, "The Life Aquatic" reminds me of some of the eccentric people I have known who don't quite qualify as crazy but nonetheless behave in rather strange ways and are mostly oblivious to how queer and funny their behavior seems to more balanced individuals.

In the review linked above, the reviewer says "The pirate subplot, which has the Belafonte crew engaged in rescuing a kidnapped crewmember, doesn't fit because it's handled as serious business. And the pursuit of Blanchett by the male leads doesn't work." But in my view, if you look at the film as embodying the eccentricity of Zissou and his crew, the juxtaposition of the serious pirate subplot with the general zaniness of the remainder of the film does fit and the pursuit of Blanchett works on a different level.

Viewing "The Life Aquatic" may not be a major life event, but I'd have to say that it is definitely worth seeing, if for no other reason than to sample the film's unique flavor.

2004-12-26 17:32 C&T