All of Wes Anderson’s movies have dramatic elements — from doomed romances to heartbreaking character deaths — but if his films had to be categorized as either comedies or dramas (which they don’t; those are just labels), then they arguably lean more toward comedy. In every Anderson movie, there are hilarious characters with quirky Andersonian charm, witty dialogue, and pitch-perfect comic timing.
From Ralph Fiennes to Anjelica Huston, Anderson has a knack for casting actors who can nail the style of deadpan humor that can be seen all over his screenplays. So, here are the 10 funniest characters from the Wes Anderson oeuvre, ranked.
Mr. Fox (Fantastic Mr. Fox)
George Clooney was the perfect A-list star to provide the titular character’s voice in Fantastic Mr. Fox. The character is smooth-talking, cool as ice, and the criminal mastermind at the heart of this caper.
He also has a little bit of the unashamed zaniness that Clooney brings to his so-called “numbskull” characters in Coen brothers movies like Hail, Caesar! and Burn After Reading. No one else could’ve played Mr. Fox as well as Clooney did.
Suzy (Moonrise Kingdom)
Whereas Sam has lost his parents, Suzy is merely neglected by hers. And yet, they’re both equally mad at the world. Wes Anderson’s aim with Moonrise Kingdom was to present schoolkids’ naive fantasy of love as opposed to its complex realities.
Sharing spectacular on-screen chemistry with her co-star Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward really brought Suzy to life and humanized her, which made the deadpan humor work. For someone who’d never acted professionally before, Hayward’s comic timing is impeccable.
Peter (The Darjeeling Limited)
The India-set dramedy The Darjeeling Limited is arguably Wes Anderson’s most underrated film. There’s not a lot of discussion around it, but the way it depicts communication between brothers — played by Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, and Adrien Brody — is beautiful.
Peter (Brody) is arguably the most relatable member of the film’s central trio as he’s the middle child literally caught in the middle of his two brothers: his sleazy younger sibling and his conniving older one.
Etheline Tenenbaum (The Royal Tenenbaums)
Wes Anderson apparently based Etheline Tenenbaum on his own mother, Ann Burroughs. After divorcing Anderson’s father, Burroughs became an archaeologist. The character was brought to life hilariously by Anjelica Huston, who proved to be a perfect foil for Gene Hackman.
It’s not often that older women get to play rounded, three-dimensional characters in Hollywood movies, but Anderson has always been great at writing strong, mature female characters, and the Tenenbaums’ matriarch is a prime example of that.
Steve Zissou (The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou)
Bill Murray frequently works with Wes Anderson, and the director always gives him a delightfully quirky character to play. But arguably the quirkiest — and funniest — is the title role in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Heavily inspired by Jacques Cousteau, Zissou is an oceanographer who is hellbent on getting revenge against the jaguar shark that killed his partner, Esteban.
The Life Aquatic gave Murray his most substantial role in years. The film itself doesn’t quite hold up (it’s a few shades too zany), but Murray’s performance as Zissou stands alongside the best of his career.
Dignan (Bottle Rocket)
Wes Anderson’s debut feature, Bottle Rocket, is a kind of heist movie. But it’s an Andersonian heist movie. The lead isn’t a suave, quick-witted Danny Ocean type. It’s Dignan, played by the movie’s co-writer, Owen Wilson. Dignan has a vision for the perfect crime, but his execution leaves a lot to be desired, and he ultimately finds himself in over his head.
Wilson’s affable performance in the role undoubtedly contributed to Martin Scorsese’s declaration that Bottle Rocket was one of the finest movies of the 1990s.
Scout Master Ward (Moonrise Kingdom)
Edward Norton slipped effortlessly into the Wes Anderson style when he played Scout Master Ward in Moonrise Kingdom. The movie as a whole critiques the traditional values of the Scouts, and Ward’s blind adherence to those traditions goes a long way toward hammering home the message.
Norton is not typically a comedic actor — he usually delivers powerhouse dramatic performances in movies like Fight Club and Primal Fear (and in his recent self-directed neo-noir Motherless Brooklyn) — but his turns in Moonrise Kingdom and Birdman prove he has an often-untapped funny bone.
Royal Tenenbaum (The Royal Tenenbaums)
The role of the Tenenbaum patriarch was written with Gene Hackman in mind. Having been a lot like Royal in his own family life, Hackman was reluctant to take the part, but his family encouraged him to do the movie.
And it’s a good thing they did, too, because no one could’ve brought the infuriating curmudgeon out in Royal quite like Hackman did. In a filmography filled with breathtaking performances, Hackman’s portrayal of Royal stands out as a hilarious highlight.
Max Fischer (Rushmore)
The premise of Rushmore presented Anderson with a curious way to explore the universally relatable foibles of the teen experience, as young Max Fischer finds himself in a love triangle, futilely competing for his teacher’s affections. Jason Schwartzman solidifies his place as an Anderson regular by playing Max hilariously as a kid who thinks he’s a lot smarter and more mature than he actually is.
His comic delivery pairs perfectly with Anderson’s unique style of dialogue. For example, when his teacher’s date tells him he’s wearing O.R. scrubs and Max quips, “Oh, are they?”
M. Gustave (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
The Grand Budapest Hotel’s M. Gustave is simply the crème de la crème of Wes Anderson characters. All of his lines are hilarious, and each one is delivered in a beautifully deadpan style by Ralph Fiennes. The character is synonymous with the unique comic style of the movie, and he carries all of its most memorable scenes. When he’s accused of murder, he just runs away.
Arguably Anderson’s finest (and funniest) film, The Grand Budapest Hotel is filled with hysterical characters, but there’s no doubt that the zany concierge of the titular establishment is the funniest.