The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Big personalities have an unfortunate tendency to lose perspective of life's greatest treasures. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is a drama with moments of whimsical humor in keeping with other films by director Wes Anderson. It is the story of the eponymous Steve Zissou (Bill Murray), an oceanographer and filmmaker à la Jacques Cousteau. After his colleague and research partner, Esteban, is eaten by an underwater predator--which Steve describes as a "Jaguar shark"--he turns his thoughts from mere research to abject revenge, no matter the cost.
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The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou embodies many of the colorful and engaging tropes which have made Wes Anderson such a beloved and iconic filmmaker. Co-written with Noah Baumbach, Steve's adventure is one that is motivated exclusively by his ego. He claims that his mission is one of revenge, but what is really propelling him across the unprotected waters of his soul is an inner corruption, a hatred at himself and at the world which he believes has forgotten about him. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is not really about oceanography, but about a psychological crossroads and Steve's struggle to cope with his own pride and the torments that come with his existential angst. Bill Murray's performance as Steve Zissou is uncompromising, one which is a complete embodiment of a man who has lost his direction in all things--the worst place for a captain of any sort to be in. Even his exhibition of "Part One" of his documentary about the elusive Jaguar shark is a cry for attention. This is not to say that Steve did not value his partner, or that it was "fake", as he fires back when interrogated by embedded reporter, Jane Winslett-Richardson (Cate Blanchett). But Steve offers this sensationalized piece as a lure for recapturing an audience that once shared his love for the mysteries of the sea, but in their perceived absence has left him embittered and alone. This is mirrored in his life, revealing how he has become a frustrated, even hateful, old man. Steve and his wife, Eleanor (Anjelica Huston), have a strained relationship, and he also shares a complicated animosity with his oceanographic rival, Alistair Hennessey (Jeff Goldblum), who was also Eleanor's first husband and with whom she remains friends. There is a sense that Steve's mission to slay the Jaguar shark is a kind of suicide mission--a desperate effort to prove that he is still relevant, even if it is to be his last adventure. He makes outlandishly daring decisions at the risk of his safety and that of his crew. When his ship, the "Belafonte", is boarded by Filipino pirates, in his frustration he grabs a pistol and fires wildly, which leads to his "bond company stooge", Bill Ubell (Bud Cort), getting kidnapped, which in turn leads to yet another dangerous rescue mission. Steve's obsessive drive to prove his relevance is a parallel to Herman Melville's classic tale of all-consuming revenge and obsession, "Moby Dick", although Steve is more charming than Ahab by default. But for all his obsession to track his quarry, Steve remains a leader with a loyal crew who has followed him for years. They stick with him through this rough patch--his German first mate, Klaus Daimler (Willem Dafoe) foremost among them--showing that even if Steve Zissou seems like an irresponsible and arrogant jerk, there must have been a time when he engendered trust among these men.
On the eve of Steve's departure back to the sea, he is approached by a man named Edward "Ned" Plimpton (Owen Wilson), who claims that he is Steve's son. Ned is a gentlemanly, quiet fellow, who tells Steve that he was a hero to him as a child, when he was a member of the the Zissou fan club, and he even wrote him a fan letter as a boy. Ned awakens an unresolved longing in Steve; even before Ned prepares to invest his inheritance from his late mother into the documentary, Steve clearly wants Ned involved in his life. Ned represents a kind of "life preserver" for Steve, something that he can hold onto that will keep him from plummeting into the abyss of despair. Steve takes Ned for granted at times and is resentful when he hears that Ned has become involved with Jane--Steve claims he had a "thing for her", even though he's still married, and it's clear Jane doesn't really like Steve that way. Since The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is essentially a character study about Steve and his inner turmoil, Ned provides a welcome contrast to his arrogance, and also represents that it isn't too late for him to change his ways, since Ned often sets a positive example and rekindles feelings of love and sympathy Steve had tried to snuff out. It's clear that Steve is a very sensitive man; when a couple of critics make fun of him in his oceanography club--including his earring--he tells Ned in confidence how even though those things shouldn't bother him, they do hurt...and he proceeds to take off and discard his earring. Steve puts up barriers to defend himself against his detractors and to mask his internal hurt, but in the process only locks the pain inside, which in turn corrodes his sense of decency and warmth. This is often times the reason people who are jerks act the way they do--as the saying goes: "hurt people hurt people". Wes Anderson's films are known for having a rich soundtrack, often drawn from classic rock, and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is no exception. The film boasts a predominance of songs by David Bowie, and are often performed in Portuguese by Seu Jorge, who also plays Pelé dos Santos, a member of Steve's crew. Many of these tracks came from David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust" and "Hunky Dory" albums, and possess a mix of melancholy and mirth, along with an underlying sense of doubt and unease (such as in "Life on Mars"); there are even feelings of despair and depression, like "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" and the famous "Ziggy Stardust" title track. These selections suggest a sympathetic connection with the songs of the legendary singer/songwriter and Steve Zissou's emotional crisis. They also speak to a particular time and place in Bowie's life, just as Steve does with his documentaries--a legacy...capturing a moment in his existence and recording it for posterity to share his soul with the world on his own terms.
Recommended for: Fans of a colorful and introspective mix of drama and comedy in the heightened style that is often associated with Wes Anderson. Bill Murray's performance is deeply nuanced and on center stage in his depiction of a man struggling with both his ego and his heart.
On the eve of Steve's departure back to the sea, he is approached by a man named Edward "Ned" Plimpton (Owen Wilson), who claims that he is Steve's son. Ned is a gentlemanly, quiet fellow, who tells Steve that he was a hero to him as a child, when he was a member of the the Zissou fan club, and he even wrote him a fan letter as a boy. Ned awakens an unresolved longing in Steve; even before Ned prepares to invest his inheritance from his late mother into the documentary, Steve clearly wants Ned involved in his life. Ned represents a kind of "life preserver" for Steve, something that he can hold onto that will keep him from plummeting into the abyss of despair. Steve takes Ned for granted at times and is resentful when he hears that Ned has become involved with Jane--Steve claims he had a "thing for her", even though he's still married, and it's clear Jane doesn't really like Steve that way. Since The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is essentially a character study about Steve and his inner turmoil, Ned provides a welcome contrast to his arrogance, and also represents that it isn't too late for him to change his ways, since Ned often sets a positive example and rekindles feelings of love and sympathy Steve had tried to snuff out. It's clear that Steve is a very sensitive man; when a couple of critics make fun of him in his oceanography club--including his earring--he tells Ned in confidence how even though those things shouldn't bother him, they do hurt...and he proceeds to take off and discard his earring. Steve puts up barriers to defend himself against his detractors and to mask his internal hurt, but in the process only locks the pain inside, which in turn corrodes his sense of decency and warmth. This is often times the reason people who are jerks act the way they do--as the saying goes: "hurt people hurt people". Wes Anderson's films are known for having a rich soundtrack, often drawn from classic rock, and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is no exception. The film boasts a predominance of songs by David Bowie, and are often performed in Portuguese by Seu Jorge, who also plays Pelé dos Santos, a member of Steve's crew. Many of these tracks came from David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust" and "Hunky Dory" albums, and possess a mix of melancholy and mirth, along with an underlying sense of doubt and unease (such as in "Life on Mars"); there are even feelings of despair and depression, like "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" and the famous "Ziggy Stardust" title track. These selections suggest a sympathetic connection with the songs of the legendary singer/songwriter and Steve Zissou's emotional crisis. They also speak to a particular time and place in Bowie's life, just as Steve does with his documentaries--a legacy...capturing a moment in his existence and recording it for posterity to share his soul with the world on his own terms.
Recommended for: Fans of a colorful and introspective mix of drama and comedy in the heightened style that is often associated with Wes Anderson. Bill Murray's performance is deeply nuanced and on center stage in his depiction of a man struggling with both his ego and his heart.