The Darjeeling Limited

I really liked this. Wes Anderson’s unique style is tattooed all over this. He seems to travel around with truckloads of blue paint, coloring every train and hut just the way he wants it. The movie has a strong point of view, and its American characters see an idealized, playground-version of India, the setting for their so-called “spiritual journey.” But the characters here, like other Anderson movies, are neurotic and self-centered, and are as confused about India as they are about themselves. The cast is GREAT, especially Owen Wilson. There are many life lessons here; recurring Anderson themes about the importance of family and one’s individual place in spite of it. The movie puts them on display (or on the nose) and they are whimsically obvious. But it’s actually refreshing to see a movie so confident and clear about its intentions that it can spell-out its themes without seeming disingenuous. And one of those life lessons is an unmissable whopper: let go of your baggage.