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Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The
EMAILPRINTBuena Vista Pictures

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 38 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 166 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy
Written by:
Wes Anderson
Noah Baumbach
Directed by: Wes Anderson
Release Date:
Theatrical: December 10, 2004
DVD: May 10, 2005
Running Time: 119 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: R for language, some drug use, violence and partial nudity
Starring Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Gambon, and Bud Cort
Internationally famous oceanographer Steve Zissou (Murray) and his crew set sail on an expedition to hunt down the mysterious, elusive, possibly non-existent Jaguar Shark that killed Zissou's partner during the documentary filming of their latest adventure. (Touchstone Pictures)
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Bottle Rocket Rushmore The Darjeeling Limited The Royal Tenenbaums
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
The director of "Rushmore" and "The Royal Tenenbaums" scores his most funny-sad movie to date.
Read Full Review >Time Richard Schickel
For those of us who think this is the best comedy of 2004, the genius of the movie lies in its relocation.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano
An exquisitely evocative movie that elevates rueful melancholia to a superpower.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea
Like the old and creaky Belafonte, the film itself seems forever on the brink of drifting away. But it's the kind of drifting that's nothing but enjoyable. In fact, it's beyond enjoyable - heading into waters full of whimsy, mystery and odd, psychedelic fish.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Sheri Linden
Wonderfully weird and wistful adventure-comedy about a fish-out-of-water oceanographer.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Dana Stevens
The actor's (Murray) quiet, downcast presence modulates the antic busyness that encircles him, and his performance is a triumph of comic minimalism.
Read Full Review >Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
Wes Anderson's movies taste that way to me. They're dryly funny, well-acted, never less than quirkily entertaining. But they're never more, either.
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen
A movie deeply immersed in movie lore, and the more seasoned the swimmer the richer the experience.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone Peter Travers
Wilson drops the ironic smirk to give a sincerely affecting performance. His scenes with Murray provide the ballast when the script veers off into unconvincing pirate attacks and animated sea creatures.
Read Full Review >New York Post Lou Lumenick
Intermittently brilliant, intermittently hilarious -- and occasionally tedious.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle
It's almost a great movie. For half of its running time, Anderson maintains a distinct and arresting tone of vague absurdity, and then he loses control and the film begins to dip into silliness. Individual scenes become labored. Yet even at its worst, The Life Aquatic is always interesting -- there's really nothing else like it.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias
Even when caught in a rut, Anderson's obsessive vision still yields many exhilarating surprises.
Read Full Review >The New Yorker Anthony Lane
Nobody could leave The Life Aquatic without the impression of having nearly drowned in some secret and melancholy game.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Desson Thomson
Hovers frustratingly somewhere between charming and only mildly amusing.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
None of it is truly inspired, but Murray's deadpan presence holds it all together.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy
A fascinating, masterly, frustrating film, it only passingly touches on the heart and sharpness of Anderson's previous work and rather brings to mind the famous complaint of the emperor in "Amadeus": "too many notes."
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
As someone who has warmed up to Anderson's work only gradually, I'd call this a step back for him, but I also can't help but wonder: Will he ever take that crucial step forward and stop saying, Isn't it ironic?
Read Full Review >ReelViews James Berardinelli
It is not as engaging as "The Royal Tenenbaums," but about on par with "Rushmore" and "Bottle Rocket."
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
The damnedest film. I can't recommend it, but I would not for one second discourage you from seeing it.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum
Noah Baumbach collaborated on the arch script, whose bittersweet weirdness leaves a residue even as the narrative disintegrates.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Michael Atkinson
Murray is always pleasurable company, and his barely suppressed soulfulness might've supported this dawdling big-fish story if its insistent larkiness had abated and let a little reality in, as had "Rushmore."
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Ella Taylor
Somewhere buried beneath all this ballast something is being said, again, about flawed middle-aged men falling from grace and redeeming themselves. This time I'm damned if I know what that something is.
Read Full Review >Empire Staff (Not credited)
The garish, exotic, retro styling is Anderson at his visual best. In terms of character and sensibility, though, this is sadly Anderson at his worst.
Read Full Review >Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
There's a lot to appreciate here, especially Mr. Murray's variations on the sad but hopeful soul he played in "Rushmore" (and in "Lost In Translation"). Yet meanings get lost in a clutter of cleverness.
Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek
Overburdened with knowingly charming touches. It's waterlogged with whimsy.
Read Full Review >Slate David Edelstein
This one is a mess--a misshapen, mawkish tragicomedy bordering on self-parody. Its ambitions deserve respect, though.
Read Full Review >Dallas Observer Robert Wilonsky
The more technically proficient Anderson gets as a filmmaker, the more emotionally barren his movies become, till at last The Life Aquatic drowns in a sea of self-indulgent touches that delight the filmmaker but distance the filmgoer who wants to love the director and his characters but just can't, not anymore.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington
A comedy that seems to have most everything going for it but the ability to make us laugh.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar
Will ultimately be remembered more for the trademark Anderson look than for any of its characters or any emotional impact.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
The movie still feels strangely inert; it's an adventure in which nothing ever really seems to happen.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Ty Burr
The film's meta-fey title alone is an example of why some people adore Anderson and why he drives others absolutely crazy.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
It's so cool all the life has drained away, leaving nothing behind but a faint whiff of attitude.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Jack Mathews
If there's anything more tiresome in film today than hip irony, it is forced irony, and here comes a boatload with Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou.
Read Full Review >Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow
It's the strangest comic misfire yet from Wes Anderson.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 6.8 (out of 10) based on 166 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Kevin M gave it a10:
This to me is the funniest and most heart warming of Wes Anderson's films.
Sue C. gave it a9:
Saw an edited for tv version last night. Brilliant, funny, understated, great cast chemistry, loved the orca acting like a pet dog begging for attention, very interesting plot/sub-plots with a surprise twist or two. I could watch it again immediately. Enjoyed the closing credits and music, but kept expecting 'Ned' to make a final appearance. Bill Murray, again, hits the mark. One of the most underrated actors in my opinion. I will watch anything he's in. Goldblum, as ever, pulls off his role with tongue in cheek. And Bud Cort had me doubled over. Great depth. Lots of life and truth in rather improbable situations. Piracy, the high seas, romance - and no Johnny Depp or ghost ships. A slice of yummy life pie. A high-brow movie with heartwarming appeal. And the dedication at the end is in line with what I had been reminded of all throughout the movie. I would have rated 10 stars, but didn't get the whole movie version.
Kristina E. gave it a3:
VERY accurate portrait of a full-blown narcissist, but otherwise quite fragmented, bizarre and lacking in real deeper meaning. So many things seemed artificial, superficial, show-offy and unreal. Perhaps this was meant to mirror the empty narcissist? The relationships and feelings (and even deaths) seemed fake, even though the movie was crammed with different people, situations and relationships, that could have been explored in many interesting ways (but all of them remained one dimensional, although I'm convinced the excellent actors did their best with what they had.)But kudos to Bill Murray for excellently portraying the charm and ruthlessness of a true, fully self-absorbed narcissist!
Daniel R. gave it a10:
This perfectly captures what makes Wes Anderson so great; deadpan humor, absurd plots, eye candy, and genuine emotion underneath.
Mike C gave it a10:
One of Wes Anderson's finest films. It's a shame that the critics and most viewers just don't seem to "get it". But then again, its the same with all his movies, if one has the sense of humor as I do, his films are among your favorites.
Doug Z gave it a0:
I just don't "get it." This film sets a mood, but doesn't go anywhere. If the idea of a plot is optional, you'll love this film. I couldn't help but feel like characters were introduced just so the actors could work with Wes Anderson. Wes, you stole two hours of my life!
Ryan T gave it a10:
A beautiful movie about coming to terms with who you are.
