Moonrise Kingdom

Today I saw Moonrise Kingdom, starring Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward.

Orphan Sam (Gilman) and disenchanted Suzy (Hayward) are experiencing first love with each other. They met last year and have successfully run away with each other this summer. Him from scout camp; her from home (in a nearby lighthouse).

Because Sam is stellar camper, they have all they need to survive: a tent, weapons, food (plus the know-how to catch more) and a compass. In fact, by the time the adults in their lives realize they're missing, they're already enjoying an 'independent' life at their destination, full of dancing (they brought a record player, of course), reading and kissing.

Once the adults retrieve them, a new mission begins to reunite the pair.

All of this is very sweet, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy seeing Edward Norton (Scout Master Ward) dressed in camp clothes leading a pack of little guys, but the cardboard way in which Wes Anderson forces his actors to behave takes all of the life out of the love.

His trademark style is there: vintage clothes; dark eyeliner; fun music; bright colors; quick cut-a-ways to things that should make us chuckle. But what's also there is an underlying sense of gloom that doesn't have any place in a film about being young (and smitten).

All the while as you're rooting for the main two (who are admittedly adorable), you're nodding along sadly at how mature they are to know it probably can't last forever.

One would hope this loss of innocence would be preserved until a much later age and that the emotion they do feel could be allowed to shine, instead of hiding behind false dialog and cutesy one-liners delivered in monotone.

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