IMDB on Wes Anderson. ‘Nuff said. I like how the person pretended that this was “parents” when in fact it’s always “fathers” because the mothers are usually crazy fuckups.
That’s an unfair criticism.
True, Anderson’s protagonists are often seeking paternal approval, but at the same time the fathers are more often the “crazy fuckups,” while the mothers are idealized. Let’s run down the list:
- Bottle Rocket: Neither biological parent is in the picture. Surrogate father James Caan is a criminal who double-crosses the protagonists.
- Rushmore: Max’s mother is dead. His relationship with his father is strained, and his relationship with father-figure Bill Murray devolves into attempted-homicide.
- Royal Tenenbaums: Mother Anjelica Huston is an accomplished archaeologist who is actually the only emotionally-stable member of the family. Father Gene Hackman is a disbarred lawyer who fakes an illness to scam his way back into the family.
- Life Aquatic: Bill Murray knew for years that he had an illegitimate son but ignored him. His wife Anjelica Huston is admittedly the brains behind the operation.
- Darjeeling Limited: Idealized father dies in a car accident, sending his three sons into depression. Mother Anjelica Huston abandons her kids to live in a convent in the mountains. After they seek her out, she abandons them again.
So with the exception of Darjeeling, it’s always the fucked up father or father-figure that the protagonist is seeking approval from. Wes definitely has daddy-issues, not mommy-issues.
1 month ago