Three rich and estranged American brothers (and their eleven suitcases, the printer, and the laminating machine) on a train voyage across India to find their mother (turned nun in the Himalayan foothills) and renew the family bond.

Wes Anderson's latest oeuvre is, well, a Wes Anderson film. The focus is clearly on quirky character flaws, oddball dialogue, surreal situations, meticulous attention to detail, the retro soundtrack, and the colour schemes, and Anderson fans will be able to enjoy that. You even get a short Bill Murray cameo to round off the cast of usual suspects (Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzmann, Anjelica Huston). But if you were looking for plot lines, character development, or a message, you might end up disappointed. Or offended that the India depicted is a collection of stereotypes and spoiled Western boys' dreams and serves as no more than exotic backdrop. Or annoyed that for all of the pretentiousness (especially with the opening short film), there is not much substance to it.

7 points