Wes Anderson is one of the most distinct filmmaking talents working today. Despite focusing on extremely different subject matter with each of his films, you can always tell you're watching a Wes Anderson film thanks to the dry humor, flawed characters and interest symmetrical style of filmmaking.
Anderson's popularity seems to grow with each new film and his reputation as a unique artist draws in some of the best actors in the business. His filmography is filled with some of the best modern films and he has become a favorite of film fans. Find out how they rank his work with the best Wes Anderson movies according to IMDB.
Bottle Rocket (7.0)
Before getting a shot at feature films, Anderson and his writing partner Owen Wilson made a short film called Bottle Rocket which starred Wilson and his brother Luke Wilson. The short impressed enough people in Hollywood that they got a chance to turn it into a full-length film which served as Anderson's feature film debut.
The crime-comedy stars the Wilson brothers as a pair of directionless friends who embark on an ill-advised crime spree. But their plans get sidelined when one of them unexpectedly falls in love. The movie helped introduced Anderson to Hollywood while helping establish his unique voice.
The Darjeeling Limited (7.2)
Anderson seems to really enjoy exploring all the messiness of family relationships. In Darjeeling Limited, he tackles brotherhood with Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwarzman starring as estranged brothers who decide to take a train trip in India together.
The film didn't have the same spark of life that most of Anderson's films had, according to most audiences. Even still, this is a worthwhile and poignant journey. The performances from the leads are all great and the depiction of brothers' love-hate relationships is dead-on. The picturesque Indian locations also provide a lot of visual beauty to the story.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (7.3)
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou feels like Anderson's version of the typical adventure film. Anderson's muse, Bill Murray stars as the titular documentarian who is struggling with his fading fame and the emergence of an estranged son (Owen Wilson) as he sets out on a bizarre mission to track down and kill the shark that ate his friend.
Despite the premise, Anderson never tries to make it a slick Hollywood film but instead forces his own sensibilities on the adventure drama. The amazing cast also includes Cate Blanchette, Willem Dafoe, and Jeff Goldblum. But Murray steals the show as the angry, sad-sack adventurer.
The Royal Tenenbaums (7.6)
Anderson scored his first Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay (along with Owen Wilson) for his dramedy about one of the most dysfunctional families in film history. The film stars Gene Hackman as Royal, the patriarch of the Tenenbaum family which consists of three children (Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Luke Wilson) who were child prodigies but grew up to be troubled adults. When Royal finds himself in financial trouble, he fakes a terminal illness to reunite with the family that hates him.
Hackman gives a hilarious performance backed up by an amazing cast all at the top of their game. The result is a movie that brings the laughs as well as some truly heartbreaking moments.
Rushmore (7.7)
With Anderson's second feature Rushmore, he began to firmly define his voice as a filmmaker while also beginning some of his most important collaborations. The comedy stars Jason Schwarzman as a young man at a private school who excels at extracurricular activities but not actual schoolwork. When he falls in love with a teacher at the school, he finds himself competing for her affections with his mentor, a lonely millionaire (Bill Murray).
The movie is a hilarious and quirky high school comedy that avoids clichés by telling its own unconventional story filled with bizarre characters. And both Schwarzman and Murray proved they were born to play in Anderson's world.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (7.8)
Anderson took his first trip into the world of animated films with Fantastic Mr. Fox. Based on the children's book by Roald Dahl, the stop-motion film follows the titular Fox (voiced by George Clooney) who attempts to balance his family life with his desire to return to his exciting life of stealing chickens which eventually threatens his entire existence.
The animation style works perfectly with Anderson's humor and sensibilities and once again he maintains his own voice while working in a new genre. The film is a fun, charming and magical adventure.
Moonrise Kingdom (7.8)
Anderson's films always tend to have a subtle feel of nostalgia to them so it seemed inevitable that he would eventually tackle a coming-of-age story. Moonrise Kingdom is set on a small island where two young outcasts fall in love and decide to run away together, sending their parents, the police, the local boy scouts and the entire island into a frenzy.
The movie is a charming look at young love and how epic that can feel. The young stars are backed up by an amazing cast which includes Anderson newcomers like Bruce Willis and Edward Norton. The humor, heart, and adventure make this one of Anderson's most lovable films.
Isle Of Dogs (7.9)
Anderson seemed to have a good time with Fantastic Mr. Fox because he would return to the time-consuming world of stop motion animation with Isle of Dogs. The Japan-set adventure film is set in the not-too-distant future where dogs are exiled to Trash Island by the government. When a young boy travels to the island to find his former pet, a band of dogs join him on his journey.
Once again, Anderson put together a great cast of voice actors including Bryan Cranston, Liev Schreiber and Greta Gerwig as well as Anderson regulars like Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, and Edward Norton. It is a fun movie that wonderfully explores the love between boy and dog.
The Grand Budapest Hotel (8.1)
The Grand Budapest Hotel is perhaps Anderson's biggest movie in terms of its scale so it is fitting that it is also his most popular movie with IMDb users. Told in various flashbacks, the movie is the story of a young hotel lobby boy in Europe during wartime who is mentored by an eccentric concierge name Monsieur Gustave (Ralph Fiennes). Together, they find themselves on a dangerous adventure surrounding a valuable painting.
Anderson paints a beautiful picture of this period and each frame has so much life in it. The cast is predictably great with Fiennes giving a hilarious and charming performance at the center of the film.