What To Watch Thursday: The Grand Budapest Hotel

What To Watch Thursday: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Mar 13, 2014 |  by  |  Art, Event
About the author
A sucker for a good story, Cathy is a writer, originally from London. As part of broadcastamsterdam.nl she reviews films and makes video reports on Amsterdam in English. She picks out the best of the lot especially for Overdose. Tweets @cathycentral

What To Watch Thursday is Overdose’s weekly film injection: every Thursday we will tell you which cinematographic pearls can’t be missed! But do we even need to plug this one? I don’t think so.

The Grand Budapest Hotel


Anticipation: With a legion of fans and books celebrating his quirky style, director, Wes Anderson, surely needs no introduction. All over the world, hipsters are dusting off their Wes Anderson bingo cards, curious to see just how ‘Wes Andersony’ this one is. Amsterdam is no exception; the Kriterion cinema is even throwing its own welcome party on 14 March and turning itself into a hotel lobby for one night.

Appreciation: After a slightly annoying story-within-a-story start, the real fun begins once we’re introduced to Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes) the flamboyant concierge from the European hotel’s heyday between the wars. Falsely accused of murdering one of his favourite rich old ladies (a brief cameo from Tilda Swinton) Gustave H is sent to jail where he roughs it with the inmates and plots an escape. Beyond that plot line there is the blossoming bond between the concierge and his protégé, lobby boy Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori), which provides the emotional arc sometimes missing from Anderson’s work. For those wondering whether all the best lines are already out there in the trailer, you have nothing to worry about; laugh-out-loud moments are scattered generously throughout this glorious romp. The colourful, exuberant set design absolutely deserves to be seen on the big screen and in Amsterdam you’re spoilt for choice with screenings at five cinemas. Don’t forget your beret/bow-tie.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Length: 101 min
Verdict: ★★★★ – The best Wes Anderson film yet
Where to see: Kriterion, Pathé City, Pathé Tuschinski, The Movies, Cinecenter

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