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Nice effects though.

Just perfect...

How sad is this?

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Since most people are only familiar with a limited number of Anderson's films, I will start by pointing out that this is not the quirky whimsical reverie that one sees in his better-known works. Here the film maker seems to take a turn towards more mature themes. The approach is still W.A. in that there are many of the elements from his previous cinematic sojourns: unwarranted humor, odd dialogue and silences, spatial unreliability, unexpected confessions...the visuals are also as spectacular as everywhere else on Wes' outings. Speaking of which, the fact that this is the only document which contains a much closer inspection of Natalie Portman's natural beauty makes this in and of itself a mouthwatering treasure of a film. I give this film an 8 (not a 10) only because it doesn't actually show all of Natalie at her peak, but what it does show is more than worth the 12+ minutes of your earthly time. We need that blooper reel, homes.

There are a lot of wannabe filmmakers and writers out there, and this would seem to be made by one of them. Wes Anderson has made some movies, some of which actually have characters and pacing, but is somehow reverted to wannabe status. He created a situation straight out of a loser's fantasy, the sort someone wallowing in self-pity over a breakup might come up with. The anguished, devastated hero (with nothing in him to attract anyone) gets to be morose and unforgiving and his (ex) girlfriend still comes more or less begging like no ex ever has or will. Sure, people get back together, or see each other, but the whole interaction was as false and fantasy driven as a GI Joe cartoon. The girlfriend was essentially a prop, not a character with recognizable motivation. Nobody behaves like the people in this movie. Writing like this comes when you don't know who your characters are, but you know what you want them to do. Ugh. And they all say exactly what they mean, totally on-the-nose writing, like nobody ever talks. No subtext, perfect self-knowledge, such character as is revealed is done through dialogue. "Show, don't tell" Anderson should try making a silent movie. And of course, nobody has any material worries. Watching "Hannah and Her Sisters" long ago, it struck me that nobody had any place they had to be, no bills to pay, every Manhattan apt. was a palace. This strikes that same false note without any real characters or desires, which HaHS did. I'm glad it was a short, and I'll skip Part II.

This is the best short film I have even seen. Not that I've seen that many, but I've seen a few.The direction, the acting and the writing (or, perhaps -no, definitely- the UNDERSTATEMENT in the writing and the acting) is absolutely flawless. Jason Schwarzmann (sp?) displays an unexpected ability to play a role that is perhaps a little different than you would imagine for him. But of course, the immortal Natalie Portman can do anything and she plays this part in such a way that you think about it for a long while afterward.The Darjeeling Limited was a decent movie (and I emphasize decent) but The Hotel Chevalier was absolutely great. Worth the price of admission even if you leave before the actual movie starts.

This is a wonderful short film to introduce us to one of the main characters in Wes Anderson's film The Darjeeling Limited. A broken romance sends Jack (Jason Schwartzman) off to a Paris hotel to lick his wounds it seems. In this short the ex-girlfriend has arrived and Jack must come face to face with her and his pain. Pay very close attention as you watch this as I think it will pay off. Personally I found this to be a nice little gift from Anderson as we wait for the release of The Darjeeling Limited. I don't really understand the question about it appearing in theatres as part of the main film but I think it does a nice job revealing the characters a bit. I enjoyed it and it certainly is very much like Anderson's previous work. I know that many fans of Wes Anderson tend to be very thrown by each new film he creates and they tend to have a favorite that they won't stray from. I have never really understood this because I think his body of work is really quite consistent and he seems to improve with each film. The key to all of his films, at least to me, is that you feel that you have stepped in to each one and lived with the characters because he takes such care revealing their quirks to you. I think what causes the discord among his fans is that they feel so close to certain characters they have trouble letting go of them. So, we end up with passionate arguments about why Rushmore, Bottle Rocket, or The Royal Tenenbaums were "better" than The Life Aquatic.