The Grand Budapest Hotel: 10 Reasons You NEED To See This Film

Wes Anderson’s ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ has already received praise from critics and is being held up as one of the director’s finest pieces of work. Still, if you're not convinced as to why you need to go see it here are ten reasons to get you to the cinema this weekend.

'The Grand Budapest Hotel'

1. It’s classic Wes Anderson

Any fans of Wes’s previous work will appreciate that the director is sticking to his usual quirky style. ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ offers all the usual delights we’ve come to expect from an Anderson movie, a offbeat plot, a tremendous cast and wonderfully surreal and enchanting visuals.

2. Ralph Fiennes turns to comedy

He’s long been praised for his dramatic roles, but the usually more serious Ralph Fiennes was persuaded by Anderson to make a move into comedy, and it’s really paid off. Fiennes plays the role of Gustave, the concierge at 'The Grand Budapest Hotel’. Fiennes, with added moustache, is transformed into a bed hopping concierge who is both unprofessional and also the most meticulous and attentive concierge you’ve ever seen. In his first Anderson role Fiennes excels proving the actor has reach even beyond our imaginations. Gustave is also a classic Wes character weird, intriguing and utterly charming.

Ralph Fiennes and Bill Murray in 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'

3. Bill Murray and more

Long time Anderson collaborator Bill Murray returns to work with Wes once again. He only has a small part but his role is central to the plot and he manages to steal the scene every time. Other frequent Anderson cast members appearing are Adrian Brody, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Tilda Swinton and Jeff Goldblum. There’s also Jude Law and Adrien Brody making his first live action Anderson appearance.

4. New faces

Aside from Wes’s regulars, the film offers a host of young actors cutting their teeth in their first Wes outing. Irish actress Saoirse Ronan best known for her work in Peter Jackson’s ‘The Lovely Bones’ plays Agatha, a young girl who gets caught up in the drama through her relationship with the hotel lobby boy. The lobby boy, Zoro, is played by 17 year old Tony Revolori who takes on his first big role as lobby boy - one of the movie’s central characters. Despite the all star cast Revolori holds his own on screen alongside big name veterans Fiennes and Murray.

Tony Revolori and Saoirse Ronan star in 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'

5. The plot

The plot is of course perfectly weird yet accessible. It centers around Fiennes’s concierge who is accused of the murder of one of the hotel’s most favoured guests. Alongside his trust lobby boy Gustave runs away and thus begins cat-and-mouse chase with the police and the victim's family. It is also all set against the backdrop of post war Eastern Europe. Though the plot might seem dark it is all of course tackled with Wes’s unique sense of humour and combines laughs with action and the usually kooky drama we’ve come to expect from an Anderson movie.

6. The characters

Like all of Wes’s work ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ features a host of wonderfully well crafted quirky characters. Alongside Fienne’s Gustav and Murray’s Ivan, there’s also Adrien Brody’s wonderfully comic villain Dmitri and Tilda Swinton is given a makeover to play Madame D - the hotel’s murdered guest.

7. Stunning visuals

The film is visual feast of vibrate colours and ornate designs. The hotel itself is a marvel with rich pastel pinks and deep reds throughout with the exterior actually looks as if it could have been made from fondant. Outside of the hotel setting the darker colours don't make the film loose any of its dazzle, with the colours perfectly complementing the film’s changing moods and locations.

Adrian Brody and Owen Wilson in 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'

8. Kitschy costumes

It’s not just the sets that are stunning here, the costumes are also wonderfully kitsch with the hotel staff’s purple uniforms being a prime example. Its all wonderfully retro and overdone in the most perfectly overdone in the coolest way possible.

9.The music

Wes has become known for his great use of strange music in his films and this is no exception. The score has been provide by Alexandre Desplat who has worked on ‘Harry Potter’ and the ‘The King’s Speech’. Expect some wonderfully weird music to underscore the equally odd plot.

10. It's unlike anything else

Wether you a die hard Wes fan or a newcomer to his work. ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ is going to be unlike anything else you’ll see at the cinema this year. Wes always offers cinema goers a unique experience and this one might just be his finest work yet.

Watch the trailer for 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' here: