Anderson Countdown Part 4 - The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Hello everyone and welcome to Some Like It Scott's newest Countdown miniseries: the Wes Anderson Countdown. To honor one of the great still-working indie writer-director auteurs, who's next film ASTEROID CITY comes out later this year, Scott, Scott, and Jay will be watching all 10 of the American filmmakers' works to-date, from his origins with the '90s heist-comedy BOTTLE ROCKET, all the way to his latest feature, 2021's star-studded anthology drama THE FRENCH DISPATCH. Join us each week over the next 10 weeks as we progress through Anderson's full oeuvre in the buildup to ASTEROID CITY!

 

On part 4 of the Anderson Countdown, Scott, Scott, and Jay review Wes Anderson's 2004 adventure comedy-drama, THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU. Directed by Anderson and co-written with Noah Baumbach in the first of several collaborations between the two, THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU stars Bill Murray in the titular role, as an eccentric oceanographer-turned-documentarian who is on a quest for revenge against a rare 10-meter-long luminescently spotted "jaguar shark" that devoured his best friend and lead diver, Esteban, on the shoot of his most recent documentary. Zissou is joined on his ship, the Belafonte, by his eclectic crew that includes Eleanor (Anjelica Huston), his estranged wife who serves as Zissou's chief strategist and financial expert; Pelé (Seu George), the vessel's safety expert who also plays the guitar and sings David Bowie songs in Portuguese; and Klaus (Willem Dafoe), a feisty German first-mate, who views Zissou and Esteban as father figures. The Belafonte and "Team Zissou" aren't in total harmony, however, as rifts begin to grow among the crew, and some new chaos is introduced with two new joiners to the crew for the latest expedition: Ned (Owen Wilson), who believes Zissou may be his father, and Jane (Cate Blanchett), a pregnant reporter who has been sent to chronicle Zissou's latest film, that both Zissou and Ned also happen to be attracted to. When the financing for Zissou's final voyage for revenge against the jaguar shark falls through, Ned offers Zissou his inheritance to fund the expedition, leading Eleanor to leave in disgust of Zissou's exploitative behaviors. The tension among the crew only grows deeper as Zissou gives more and more attention to Ned, frustrating Klaus in the process, while also competing with Ned for the affection of Jane. The wacky leftovers of Team Zissou have quite the adventure ahead of them, however, and Zissou is determined to find the jaguar shark that killed his best friend. Who knows, maybe he'll learn some life lessons along the way. The countdown crew give their thoughts on Anderson's fourth film, including its journey to cult status, its more adventurous spin on Anderson's narrative style, and the ensemble cast brought to bear.