Wes Anderson has been gaining quite a name for himself lately. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is the fourth major motion picture by director Wes Anderson, whose previous films Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, and The Royal Tenenbaums were all co-written with longtime friend and now established actor Owen Wilson. This time around Anderson has branched out a bit and is working with Noah Baumbach (writer/director of the quirky comedy Kicking and Screaming) to write The Life Aquatic. Fans of Anderson’s work can rest easily knowing that the new choice in teamwork has not affected the distinct style we have come to expect from Aderson. He continues to work with many of the same actors and actresses from his previous films.
The film is about the once legendary but now washed up oceanographer/documentary artist Steve Zissou (Bill Murray). The plot itself is pretty simple; Zissou is on a mission to kill the shark that ate his best friend and fellow oceanographer Estaban du Plantier (Seymour Cassel). Steve Zissou is a narcissist whose opportunism is high and his realism low. Zissou’s wife Eleanor (Angelica Huston), the brains behind the operation, is the one who made Zissou the success that he is, or was. Zissou is united with his possible son Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson) after a press conference. Ned ends up joining “Team Zissou” as well as helping to fund the voyage. Team Zissou is made up of a group of misfits outfitted in matching blue jumpsuits with a pistol and holster on the leg, matching red beanies, and matching custom made Zissou Adidas running shoes. As they travel on their ship, the Belafonte, a run down minesweeper from WWII fully equipped with a sauna, laboratory, observation bubble, and high tech kitchen, the team runs into all kinds of trouble. Boat problems, pirates, and mutiny, all fail to deter the crew as they manage to persevere due to the dedication of select crewmembers, Zissou’s determined leadership, and the always tactful use of guns and dynamite. On his adventure, Zissou is joined by a pregnant and ambitious reporter Jane Winslett-Richardson (Cate Blanchett) who is on assignment writing a cover story on Zissou.
The humor in all of Anderson’s films comes not from obvious cheep slapstick, but from razor sharp wit and obsessive attention to subtle detail in the lives of his cast of eccentric characters. This allows a film like Life Aquatic to find even the delicate humor in the commonly tragic. Instead of seeming like a crutch, more serious themes are effortlessly woven into the story giving the characters a human depth. The presence or lack of presence of a father figure in the characters lives is one of these themes that carries a deeper resonance and is carried out through the characters of both Jane and Ned. A single mother raised Ned, and Jane is about to become a single mother. Zissou also says to Ned that he had never acknowledged him because he hates fathers and never wanted to be one.
However, Zissou and Ned do form a strong bond throughout the film and their relationship adds a serious element to the overall tone of the film. On the other hand the film is subtly hilarious in true Wes Anderson fashion. Life Aquatic maintains the smart dialogue and quirkiness in characters such as Zissou, Klaus Daimler (Willem Dafoe) and the reputable oceanographer Alistair Hennessey (Jeff Goldblum), Zissou’s rival.
What makes this film successful is the highly developed characters, acting, amazing attention to detail, and killer soundtrack (acoustic covers of David Bowie songs by Brazilian artist Seu Jorge). Combining these elements in a highly stylized Wes Anderson film produces a strong feeling that helps to draw the viewer into Steve Zissou’s delightful little aqua world.