Wes Anderson Films, Ranked
- Thread starter Snarf Zagyg
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Benjamin Olson
Hero
I'm one Phoenician Scheme away from having seen all of them, and should have that dealt with before the month is done.
Royal Tenenbaums is pretty clearly the best in my mind. Moonrise Kingdom and Grand Budapest Hotel are similarly masterpieces. Rushmore was a standout early work and the one I probably relate to the most (I was also a kid involved in way to many clubs and activities). The Life Aquatic is also a personal favorite (it might be the funniest, and all the acoustic, Portuguese David Bowie covers give it the best soundtrack). Fantastic Mr. Fox combined Wes Anderson and Roald Dahl, and that's just chocolate and peanut butter in my book. So that would be my A and S tier, with rankings shifting based on mood.
The essential go to critique of Wes Anderson is that his movies are all style and no substance, and while I reject this, I will say sometimes whatever substance there is gets a bit too buried in the mix, and this has seemed more pronounced in his later works. I liked Isle of Dogs but as animated outings go it's no Fantastic Mr. Fox in my book. French Dispatch was very well made, but the anthology nature kept me from getting to invested in any of the stories. The whole framing narrative of Asteroid City actually being a radio show or something just felt like bloated, self-indulgent excess and while that might be OP's bag it's not mine and was the first time the "style" really started to get in the way for me. Setting aside later works, I also did not particularly care for Darjeeling Limited, which seemed like it was planned hoping some deeper meaning would be found futzing around India and it never materialized.
Bottle Rocket is juvenilia only interesting to Wes Anderson completionists, though perhaps people extremely put off my his style and quirks would like it the best for feeling the least like a Wes Anderson movie.
I'm also a fan of his Star War audition tape.
Royal Tenenbaums is pretty clearly the best in my mind. Moonrise Kingdom and Grand Budapest Hotel are similarly masterpieces. Rushmore was a standout early work and the one I probably relate to the most (I was also a kid involved in way to many clubs and activities). The Life Aquatic is also a personal favorite (it might be the funniest, and all the acoustic, Portuguese David Bowie covers give it the best soundtrack). Fantastic Mr. Fox combined Wes Anderson and Roald Dahl, and that's just chocolate and peanut butter in my book. So that would be my A and S tier, with rankings shifting based on mood.
The essential go to critique of Wes Anderson is that his movies are all style and no substance, and while I reject this, I will say sometimes whatever substance there is gets a bit too buried in the mix, and this has seemed more pronounced in his later works. I liked Isle of Dogs but as animated outings go it's no Fantastic Mr. Fox in my book. French Dispatch was very well made, but the anthology nature kept me from getting to invested in any of the stories. The whole framing narrative of Asteroid City actually being a radio show or something just felt like bloated, self-indulgent excess and while that might be OP's bag it's not mine and was the first time the "style" really started to get in the way for me. Setting aside later works, I also did not particularly care for Darjeeling Limited, which seemed like it was planned hoping some deeper meaning would be found futzing around India and it never materialized.
Bottle Rocket is juvenilia only interesting to Wes Anderson completionists, though perhaps people extremely put off my his style and quirks would like it the best for feeling the least like a Wes Anderson movie.
I'm also a fan of his Star War audition tape.
I haven’t watched them all, so I’ll rank the ones I have seen.
1: Fantastic Mr Fox. An excellent adaptation of the book (which is fun but limited and honestly rather hypocritical of the author) with some clever and heartwarming extrapolation. His best film all round.
2: The French Dispatch: I think Anderson is at his best when he’s working episodically (also the case in FMF, above) and this is the acme of that style as well as a love letter to The New Yorker. Really light and enjoyable, excellent performances.
3: The Grand Budapest Hotel: An accomplished and entertaining homage to Stefan Zweig books but honestly I think A Gentleman in Moscow did it better.
4: The Royal Tenenbaums: A more heartfelt study of family and dysfunctionality than the above two films, but frankly I didn’t engage with any of the characters.
5: Asteroid City: It’s fine, but again the characters are scattershot and rather superficial, so what you get most is Anderson’s direction style as the main character, which was too much for me.
1: Fantastic Mr Fox. An excellent adaptation of the book (which is fun but limited and honestly rather hypocritical of the author) with some clever and heartwarming extrapolation. His best film all round.
2: The French Dispatch: I think Anderson is at his best when he’s working episodically (also the case in FMF, above) and this is the acme of that style as well as a love letter to The New Yorker. Really light and enjoyable, excellent performances.
3: The Grand Budapest Hotel: An accomplished and entertaining homage to Stefan Zweig books but honestly I think A Gentleman in Moscow did it better.
4: The Royal Tenenbaums: A more heartfelt study of family and dysfunctionality than the above two films, but frankly I didn’t engage with any of the characters.
5: Asteroid City: It’s fine, but again the characters are scattershot and rather superficial, so what you get most is Anderson’s direction style as the main character, which was too much for me.
Just jumping in to briefly talk about Asteroid City.*
First, when it comes to Wes Anderson movies, ranking the movies from #8 up is hard, because they are all really good. I might put forth a strong case about #1 (The Grand Budapest Hotel) just because ... that might be one of the few perfect movies I have ever seen. But all of them from #2-#8 are easily arguable in terms of where, exactly, they should place. IMO.
But I would say this about Asteroid City. I think it's similar to Barton Fink, a movie that I ranked as the second-best Coen Brothers' movie. But I also understand why both movies aren't appealing to a lot of people. Both of them (IMO) are difficult in certain ways, but also incredibly rewarding. They lack surface pleasures, but they reward deeper thought. Moonrise Kingdom (to use one example) is a "better watch" than Asteroid City. But Asteroid City has incredibly deep layers that resist easy analysis, and because of that (like Barton Fink) it both rewards and resists analytical resolution. In other words, it is both rich and frustrating, and that can be wonderful ... or a barrier to enjoyment.
*For reasons in RL, I have not been able to see The Phoenician Scheme yet.
First, when it comes to Wes Anderson movies, ranking the movies from #8 up is hard, because they are all really good. I might put forth a strong case about #1 (The Grand Budapest Hotel) just because ... that might be one of the few perfect movies I have ever seen. But all of them from #2-#8 are easily arguable in terms of where, exactly, they should place. IMO.
But I would say this about Asteroid City. I think it's similar to Barton Fink, a movie that I ranked as the second-best Coen Brothers' movie. But I also understand why both movies aren't appealing to a lot of people. Both of them (IMO) are difficult in certain ways, but also incredibly rewarding. They lack surface pleasures, but they reward deeper thought. Moonrise Kingdom (to use one example) is a "better watch" than Asteroid City. But Asteroid City has incredibly deep layers that resist easy analysis, and because of that (like Barton Fink) it both rewards and resists analytical resolution. In other words, it is both rich and frustrating, and that can be wonderful ... or a barrier to enjoyment.
*For reasons in RL, I have not been able to see The Phoenician Scheme yet.
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Paul Farquhar
Legend
Kind of like a puzzle without a solution?
Clint_L
Legend
I always like but seldom love Wes Anderson films. I find them affected in a way that aways keeps me at arms length - he's a very post-modern filmmaker in that he always wants you to be aware of the art. So I am rarely emotionally invested in the story, even while admiring the artistry.
Rushmore is my favourite of his films, because it is the one I engage with the most, and also the soundtrack is perfect, and my second favourite is Grand Budapest because it is such a singular film.
Rushmore is my favourite of his films, because it is the one I engage with the most, and also the soundtrack is perfect, and my second favourite is Grand Budapest because it is such a singular film.
You say Isle of Dogs was fun and light? It uh... my wife did not agree. She had to leave before the end, though.
My favorite was Grand Budapest, but I haven't seen them all yet.. probably about half.
My favorite was Grand Budapest, but I haven't seen them all yet.. probably about half.
Mmmhmmm.
You mean, like the conflict between our drive to find meaning, and the lack of meaning in the universe? sigh You know, I once did an Iron DM existentialist adventure.
It ended poorly. Which happens (I once lost a round because I did an entry themed with the Coen Brothers and '80s movies, and the judge wasn't a movie person ... it happens). But let's say it ended really poorly.
Paul Farquhar
Legend
I was just role playing as Wes Anderson posting in a thread about Wes Anderson, in the style of Wes Anderson.
Gradine
🏳️⚧️ (she/her) 🇵🇸
You Sure You're In The Mood For Another Wes Anderson Film With Everything That's Going On?
Hey, guys. It’s me, acclaimed filmmaker Wes Anderson. I just finished my latest movie, The Phoenician Scheme, and it’s going to be great. It’s got everything—an ensemble cast of A-listers, set designs to die for, and a mid-century setting in exotic locales. But real quick, before I go ahead and...
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