A lot went on in the film. It was wild from start to finish, making it more entertaining. I’ve never seen a Wes Anderson before so it was interesting to see one of his earlier works. While the plot of the movie was incredibly cliche, the aesthetics and acting in the film was on point. What really stuck out for me with the family bond that was emphasized throughout the plot. While the characters were eccentric in their own way, they came together as a family whenever one of them was hurt. They came together when the father was “dying” and when Richie tried to kill himself. Despite their differences, they were able to put things aside (for the most part) and be there for each other. For example, Etheline was crying over Royal’s “sickness” despite their rough relationship. On top of that, Chas is a very protective over his family, and while he didn’t have a great relationship with his father, he still showed some concerns for his father (when Royal fell from his bed).

Wes Anderson did an incredible job at beautifully portraying an eccentric family as a normal family with normal family conflicts and giving some of the characters a bit of a development. He showed that a family bond isn’t about being blood-related or not, but about the love and connection among the members that hold them together after years apart.