The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Director Wes Anderson makes another great one with Bill Murray playing an oceanographer and filmmaker on a revenge quest to kill the shark that ate his buddy. Exotic sea creatures, David Bowie tunes adapted to Portuguese, and a slew of great character performers make this one of 2004’s best. Murray is perfectly droll in the title role, finding out that he may have a son (Owen Wilson) and trying to woo back his unimpressed wife (Anjelica Huston). Willem Dafoe is very funny as a German crewmember with an inferiority complex, and a hilarious Jeff Goldblum shows up as a competing oceanographer. The Life Acquatic is full of the exquisite touches that made Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums so much fun. I wouldn’t mind it a bit if Anderson keeps making films this way.