Best Wes Anderson movies: From 'Bottle Rocket' to 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'

Originally published on What to Watch

March 27, 2023, 12:31 PM

<p> In terms of visual style, few directors working today are as immediately recognizable as Wes Anderson. You can tell almost instantaneously if you’re watching one of his films from the intricate, almost dollhouse like settings to his increasing use of unique aspect ratios and, generally, if you see either Bill Murray or Owen Wilson on screen.  </p> <p> Anderson is one of the more unique American directors to come about in a long time, treating audiences to 10 movies thus far. But which is his best? </p> <p> Sticking with just his feature films, none of his short films (sorry fans of the original Bottle Rocket), here is how we’ve ranked Wes Anderson’s filmography to date. </p> <p> <em>By Michael Balderston</em> </p>

<p> Not starting off with any real controversy here, as <em><strong>The Darjeeling Limited</strong></em> is widely regarded as Wes Anderson’s weakest outing. Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman star as three brothers who attempt to reconnect a year after their father’s funeral as they travel across India by train. Anderson’s oddball characters generally work best when they are firmly in their own world, be it fictional or exaggerated, but in <em><strong>The Darjeeling Limited</strong></em> the main trio are entirely out of place as they interact with the people and culture of India. In a filmography that features mostly hits, <em><strong>The Darjeeling Limited</strong></em> sticks out as a rare misfire from Anderson.  </p>

<p> Anderson's ode to journalism, <em><strong>The French Dispatch</strong></em> is broken up into three sections depicting stories that were published in the titular magazine at the center of the film. While each story has its own unique quirks, they struggle to form a truly cohesive movie. <em><strong>The French Dispatch</strong></em> has a fantastic performance by Jeffrey Wright, a fantastic animated sequence and the trademark dry wit of Anderson, but the structure never lets the movie truly build on any momentum; not least of all because its middle section is its weakest. </p>

<p> Anderson returned to the stop-motion animation style that he so wonderfully took to with <em><strong>Fantastic Mr. Fox</strong></em> in <em><strong>Isle of Dogs</strong></em>, though it was always going to be tough to live up to his first animated outing. That’s no slight against <em><strong>Isle of Dogs</strong></em>, which is a fun, incredibly made tale of a boy trying to find his dog that was exiled to the titular island with the help of a ragtag group of strays. The reason that it sits so low in this list is one, something had to, and two, when picking between <em><strong>Isle of Dogs</strong></em> and <em><strong>Fantastic Mr. Fox</strong></em>, I’ll always give the edge to the latter.  </p>

<p> <em><strong>The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou </strong></em>was the first Wes Anderson film that I saw, so it will always hold a special place in my heart, but in terms of his overall work it is definitely one of the lighter, less essential entries. Bill Murray leads the cast as an egotistical Jacques Costeau-inspired sea explorer out for revenge against the shark that ate his best friend. The supporting cast is great, as usual, with Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon, Jeff Goldblum, Waris Ahluwalia and Seu Jorge. It very well may be one of Anderson’s most broadly funny films, but it lacks the same kind of depth that Anderson’s best films have.  </p>

<p> <em><strong>Rushmore </strong></em>is a film that many Wes Anderson fans would put forward as one of his best films, but some of its elements, including the romantic pining of Jason Schwartzman’s Max Fischer for his teacher, played by Olivia Williams, has managed to keep the film at a bit more of distance for me. Rushmore is critical though in terms of Anderson’s filmography for bringing in two of his frequent collaborators, Schwartzman and Bill Murray, who probably gives his best performance in an Anderson movie here.  </p>

<p> Adapted from Roald Dahl’s classic children’s novel, <em><strong>Fantastic Mr. Fox</strong></em> raised the level of detail that Anderson was able to employ in his films, as he and his crew utilized the stop-motion technique to hand-craft every element frame by frame. Anderson’s wit also expanded the film from its children’s novel origins and made it widely accessible to audiences of any age. It’s a shame George Clooney and Meryl Streep, who voice Mr. and Mrs. Fox, haven’t been able to team up with Anderson for a live-action film to date, but their work in the film fits in so easily with both the world of the story and Anderson’s usual troupe of actors. Hopefully Anderson will continue to return to stop-motion animation from time to time as he has proven a master of it with his first two entries.  </p>

<p> Wes Anderson’s first feature film (based off the short film of the same name), co-written with Owen Wilson, <em><strong>Bottle Rocket</strong></em> predates Anderson’s ability (financially) to craft sets that truly place his unique characters in their own little world, so instead they simply reside in your typical looking motel or factory. Why this is not a hindrance for <em><strong>Bottle Rocket</strong></em> is the creation and performance of Owen and Luke Wilson’s lead characters, Dignan and Anthony Adams. Dignan’s misguided code and worldview works against a realistic backdrop as he is destined to fail, while Anthony, still an odd duck himself, is more grounded and serves as the audience surrogate. Anderson’s style has grown so much since <em><strong>Bottle Rocket</strong></em>, but the film remains an incredibly impressive debut and very much of the filmmaker we know today.  </p>

<p> <em><strong>Moonrise Kingdom </strong></em>is an underrated gem from Wes Anderson. The story of two youngsters who fall in love and run away into the woods in a small New England town is the thru line, and source of inspiration, of a story that deals with relationships of all kinds, be it husband and wife, parents and children or even among friends. Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward star as the young lovebirds, Sam and Suzy, but performances from Frances McDormand and Edward Norton are the film’s highlights, while Tilda Swinton and Jason Schwartzman steal the show with their quick cameos. Anderson’s screenplay, which he co-wrote with Roman Coppola, was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars.  </p>

<p> When you think of a Wes Anderson movie, more likely than not the first one that comes into your head is <em><strong>The Royal Tenenbaums</strong></em>. The director’s breakout film, <em><strong>The Royal Tenenbaums</strong></em> became a bit of a cultural touchstone (how many times have you seen people dressed up as the Tenenbaum children for Halloween?). This story of a dysfunctional family is more than its window dressings, as wonderfully strange as those are, with a fantastic cast featuring Gene Hackman, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson, Anjelica Huston, Danny Glover, Owen Wilson, Bill Murray and Kumar Pallana. The film is about accepting your family for all their faults and loving and supporting them anyway, which made it a kind of balm for audiences when it was released in the winter of 2001, but also gives it a timeless quality.  </p>

<p> Creating his own country gave Wes Anderson a freedom to build the world of <em><strong>The Grand Budapest Hotel</strong></em> that is rich in detail, foreign but welcoming; not least of all because of the performance by Ralph Fiennes as the titular hotel’s famed concierge. Fiennes gives one of the best performances in any Anderson film (<em>the</em> best for my money) as a man who strives to be civilized in every aspect of his life, even as the world crumbles around him at the outset of war. Other new Anderson players including Saoirse Ronan and Tony Revolori fit like a glove among staples Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody and Willem Dafoe. Anderson’s story within a story within a story structure also allows him to raise the bar in terms of style, playing with different aspect ratios throughout. Both technically and thematically, Anderson has never been better than he was in <em><strong>The Grand Budapest Hotel</strong></em>.  </p>

Best Wes Anderson movies: From 'Bottle Rocket' to 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'

In terms of visual style, few directors working today are as immediately recognizable as Wes Anderson. You can tell almost instantaneously if you’re watching one of his films from the intricate, almost dollhouse like settings to his increasing use of unique aspect ratios and, generally, if you see either Bill Murray or Owen Wilson on screen.

Anderson is one of the more unique American directors to come about in a long time, treating audiences to 10 movies thus far. But which is his best?

Sticking with just his feature films, none of his short films (sorry fans of the original Bottle Rocket), here is how we’ve ranked Wes Anderson’s filmography to date.

By Michael Balderston

Fox Searchlight Pictures

The meticulous Wes Anderson has made nine movies. Which stands above the rest?

INSIDER
John Leguizamo jokes that if white actors keep getting cast in Latino roles, he's going to cast himself as Gwyneth Paltrow in a movie about her ski accident trial
Leguizamo made the comments while guest hosting "The Daily Show.'
18h ago
The Hollywood Reporter
‘John Wick 5’ Back on the Table After Box Office Blowup
[The following story contains spoilers for John Wick: Chapter 4.] Yeah, Lionsgate is thinking John Wick is back. John Wick: Chapter 4 had widely been expected to be the final installment in the main action franchise, but a fifth film is back on the table after the latest movie’s astonishing opening at the global box […]
1d ago
Variety
Keanu Reeves Cut So Much ‘John Wick 4’ Dialogue That He Says Only 380 Words in Nearly Three Hours: He’s ‘Dedicated to Not Speaking’
John Wick is a man of few words. No really. A report from The Wall Street Journal reveals that Keanu Reeves’ eponymous assassin says only 380 words across 103 lines of dialogue during “John Wick: Chapter 4,” which runs nearly three-hours long with its 169 minute runtime. Nearly a third of Reeves’ dialogue in the […]
1d ago
CinemaBlend
Fans Are All Saying The Same Thing About Liv Tyler’s Return To The MCU In Captain America 4
Betty Ross is returning to the MCU after a long absence and fans are having a very similar reaction to the news.
20h ago
Indiewire
Donnie Yen Says Quentin Tarantino Was ‘Obviously’ Making Fun of Bruce Lee: ‘It Was Cartoonish’
"I'm entitled to state my own view," the "John Wick: Chapter 4" actor said of Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."
21h ago
Robb Report
Inside a Movie-Themed Florida Manse Where Every Bedroom Is Based on a Blockbuster Film
The cinema-centric home just listed for $11.7 million.
1d ago
BuzzFeed
"I Forever Lament Its Loss In The Film Adaptation": 19 Book Adaptation Changes That Bothered And Bummed Out Fans
"It bothered me so much because that reveal was such a big deal in the books."
2d ago
Variety
‘Ant-Man 3’ Crashed at the Box Office After a Trilogy-Best Opening. What Went Wrong?
The bigger they are, the harder they fall? That’s the presiding feeling about the box office performance of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” Disney’s superhero threequel opened to $106 million domestically in February, eviscerating trilogy records among the “Ant-Man” standalone stories. But ticket sales for Paul Rudd’s latest adventure have cratered in subsequent weeks. At […]
2d ago
CinemaBlend
As Fans Await Jumanji 4, Franchise Alum Madison Iseman Shares Honest Update On The Film
One Jumanji star reveals what she knows about a possible new movie in the franchise.
2d ago
CinemaBlend
Mission: Impossible 8 Is Filming In The Arctic Now, And It Honestly Looks Amazing
Hayley Atwell shares gorgeous behind-the-scenes images of the eight Mission Impossible's Arctic landscapes, and it's stunning.
15h ago
Out
Kit Connor Posts Shirtless Gym Pics, Goes Full Muscle Bro
The Heartstopper star is serving body-ody-ody.
2d ago
Gizmodo
The Guardians of the Galaxy Trilogy Ends With Rocket Raccoon at Its Heart
The space adventures in Marvels’s Guardians of the Galaxy films are nearing their conclusion—and with that, we’ll finally be learning the mystery behind the creation of Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
13h ago
The Telegraph
The crazy truth about Lady Gaga’s ‘extremely gruesome’ Joker sequel
The original Joaquin Phoenix Joker movie from 2019 was gaga with a vengeance. The sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, will, by contrast, be Lady Gaga with a vengeance.
18h ago
Nerdist
JOHN WICK Prequel Series THE CONTINENTAL Eyes Fall Premiere
John Wick's prequel series will take place at the Continental, 40 years before the movies. It'll focus on a young Winston and air on Peacock.
2d ago
Variety
Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Pathaan’: Yash Raj Films CEO Analyzes Film’s Success, Expansion of Spy Universe, China Distribution (EXCLUSIVE)
Yash Raj Films’ “Pathaan” is the biggest Indian hit of the year so far grossing $130 million. The studio’s Akshaye Widhani also served as a co-producer on the film. Part of the release strategy around “Pathaan” was keeping Shah Rukh Khan away from the film’s promotions, creating curiosity around the superstar’s comeback film, the first […]
1d ago
Indiewire
Joaquin Phoenix Was Scared He’d Break Character If He Looked Directly at Nathan Lane on ‘Beau Is Afraid’
"He thought I was funny, so every time we did a take he would say, 'I can't look you directly in the eyes, or I'll break up,'" Lane said.
19h ago
CinemaBlend
Colin Farrell And Hugh Grant Get Candid About How They're Way Less Famous Than They Used To Be
Colin Farrell and Hugh Grant speak honestly about being way less famous than they used to be.
13h ago
Glamour
Jennifer Lopez Wore Stunning Neon Yellow to Accompany the Hubs to His Movie Premiere
You already know J.Lo never misses.
20h ago
Lifehacker
What's New on Prime Video in April 2023
Another new month, another raft of promising-sounding original TV series coming to Prime Video, to be thought about for exactly five minutes and then forgotten forever, probably. (I’m kidding, sort of—I definitely heard people talking about Daisy Jones and the Six for, like, a week at least.)
20h ago
CinemaBlend
Chris Pratt's Kid Showed No Mercy When He Found Out Who His Dad Was Playing In The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Chris Pratt’s kid didn’t hold back with his reaction to his father voicing Mario in the Super Mario Bros. Movie.
2d ago

Yahoo News

Best Wes Anderson movies: From 'Bottle Rocket' to 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'

Best Wes Anderson movies: From 'Bottle Rocket' to 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'

Recommended Stories

John Leguizamo jokes that if white actors keep getting cast in Latino roles, he's going to cast himself as Gwyneth Paltrow in a movie about her ski accident trial

‘John Wick 5’ Back on the Table After Box Office Blowup

Keanu Reeves Cut So Much ‘John Wick 4’ Dialogue That He Says Only 380 Words in Nearly Three Hours: He’s ‘Dedicated to Not Speaking’

Fans Are All Saying The Same Thing About Liv Tyler’s Return To The MCU In Captain America 4

Donnie Yen Says Quentin Tarantino Was ‘Obviously’ Making Fun of Bruce Lee: ‘It Was Cartoonish’

Inside a Movie-Themed Florida Manse Where Every Bedroom Is Based on a Blockbuster Film

"I Forever Lament Its Loss In The Film Adaptation": 19 Book Adaptation Changes That Bothered And Bummed Out Fans

‘Ant-Man 3’ Crashed at the Box Office After a Trilogy-Best Opening. What Went Wrong?

As Fans Await Jumanji 4, Franchise Alum Madison Iseman Shares Honest Update On The Film

Mission: Impossible 8 Is Filming In The Arctic Now, And It Honestly Looks Amazing

Kit Connor Posts Shirtless Gym Pics, Goes Full Muscle Bro

The Guardians of the Galaxy Trilogy Ends With Rocket Raccoon at Its Heart

The crazy truth about Lady Gaga’s ‘extremely gruesome’ Joker sequel

JOHN WICK Prequel Series THE CONTINENTAL Eyes Fall Premiere

Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Pathaan’: Yash Raj Films CEO Analyzes Film’s Success, Expansion of Spy Universe, China Distribution (EXCLUSIVE)

Joaquin Phoenix Was Scared He’d Break Character If He Looked Directly at Nathan Lane on ‘Beau Is Afraid’

Colin Farrell And Hugh Grant Get Candid About How They're Way Less Famous Than They Used To Be

Jennifer Lopez Wore Stunning Neon Yellow to Accompany the Hubs to His Movie Premiere

What's New on Prime Video in April 2023

Chris Pratt's Kid Showed No Mercy When He Found Out Who His Dad Was Playing In The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Brace for Impact: Wes Anderson Reveals Out-of-This-World Cast for New Film Asteroid City

Wes Anderson’s Star-Studded Comedy ‘Asteroid City’ Is On Its Way To The Cannes Film Festival

Childish Gambino Wins Plagiarism Lawsuit For “This Is America”

FOX 5 Morning

9 Fun Movies That Take Place During Parties