"The Darjeeling Limited" is director Wes Anderson's story of three American brothers figuratively and literally carrying -- and seeking to shed -- family baggage as they seek spiritual enlightenment in India.
When Francis (Owen Wilson) calls the siblings together a year after their father’s death, Peter (Adrien Brody) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman) dutifully come, even though the estranged brothers apparently haven’t communicated since the funeral. Francis wants an emotional reunion that will bring the family together like they used to be. In order to achieve this, he has planned a journey through India during which they will seek spiritual enlightenment and seek out new experiences “even if they are shocking and painful.” What he’s not telling them is that he also plans a reunion with their mother (Anjelica Huston) who has joined a religious order in a remote region of India.
The film, written by Anderson along with Schwartzman and his cousin Roman Coppola, captures the way brothers behave. There’s both an intimacy of having grown up together and the distance of having since grown apart. We see how they quickly fall into old habits, behaviors and dialogue when they reunite. Being a family unit is something like riding bike — you never forget how what to do and that includes how to irritate each other. The film conveys a real sense of family, not a perfect sense, but rather the way families can interact, the different way people show love and concern and the desire to keep those connections.
"The Darjeeling Limited" is a spunky, spiritual charmer that also finds bittersweet emotional resonances. Anderson’s gift is his ability to make us care about his flawed characters and to convey their story with both sincere compassion and an ironic sense of humor about their imperfections.
By turns funny, smart and poignant, "The Darjeeling Limited" is a tall tale of mishaps and misadventure that settles into a thoughtful, moving journey. It is rated R and has a running time of 91 minutes.
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''The Darjeeling Limited'' Premieres ...
Date and Time
Friday Dec 21, 2007 Sunday Dec 23, 2007
7 p.m. December 21 & 22
2 p.m. December 23
Location
Smith Opera House82 Seneca St.Geneva, NY
Fees/Admission
$5 general admission$3 for students & senior citizens
Website
Contact Information
315-781-LIVE (5483) or toll-free 866-355-LIVE (5483)
