Darjeeling Limited

Following the poorly received The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, director Wes Anderson proves he hasn't lost his touch with latest film The Darjeeling Limited, a movie reminiscent of Anderson's ingenious early works Bottle Rocket, Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums.

Anderson makes his triumphant return with a story of three brothers who, having grown apart, reunite for a spiritual journey on a train through India. The brothers travel from India's crowded city streets to the barren deserts in an attempt "just to experience something."

Each of the brothers distinguishes himself in the quirky, often bizarre manner that has become a staple of Anderson's films. Francis (Owen Wilson) is organizer and leader of the trip, driving brothers Peter and Jack (Adrian Brody and Jason Schwartzman, respectively) crazy as he maps out their itinerary in five and 10-minute intervals. Depressed, Jack wants to abandon the trip, unable to discern what exactly is wrong with his life-if there is even anything wrong. Peter is equally (if not more) grumpy, not sure how to feel about his wife's pregnancy having always believed he would get divorced to whomever he married.

It would be easy to criticize Limited for a lack of focus since the three brothers wander aimlessly from scene to scene until the occasional abrupt tragedy strikes here and there. But such a critique misses the point of the film. After all, the three brothers lack any focus themselves during the search for enlightenment.

The main characters often teeter between self-examination and pretentious self-absorption. While the brothers are traveling, they pay little attention to the people they come across (mostly waiters, bus drivers and the occasional meaningful acquaintance), nonchalantly brushing off the people they deem boring. It's understandable why Anderson's critics complain of his characters having too much money and too little cares for others' problems.

Peter travels to India while his wife is deep into pregnancy, but only chatters about how the pregnancy will affect him. Jack immediately turns any conversation back in his direction. The brothers' throw away their expensive luggage as they run to catch a train, and Francis wears $3,000 loafers. Critics might spurn this selfish materialism, but Anderson's longtime fans will undoubtedly embrace it for its quintessential Anderson-ian feel.

The Darjeeling Limited doesn't require that you love every one of its characters. The film is funny and at times moving, exploring the brothers' search for meaning in their lives and, even more, their relationships with each other. As Jack ponders aloud-"I wonder if the three of us could have been friends in real life, not as brothers, but as people"-we are reminded as to why Anderson has the legion of fans that he does.