“The Grand Budapest Hotel” starts off with a great and surprising laugh. This movie is probably Wes Anderson’s best written screenplay. Not only is it funny, engaging and captivating, but it also brings fourth some of the freshest characters seen in cinema in a long while. The dialogue is so sharp that it is a breath of fresh air from beginning to end, no matter what time period the movie is taking place. It is way to early to talk about the Oscars, but this is so well written if it does not secure a nomination for Best Original Screenplay, it would be a scandal.

Wes Anderson is the kind of director who embraces filmmaking as a true art form and that shines through in “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” Production design, art direction, costuming, cinematography and editing, this movie puts a great emphasis on it all. It really shows how well pre-production pays off for a director. Every shot is so well framed that it almost paints a picture. Colors play a big part in this movie, not only for the set design, but for the clothes the characters wear too. As great as the before mentioned dialogue is, the movie could be just as memorizing if you watched it with no sound at all.

Naturally everyone’s acting is at the top of their game. Other co-stars include Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe and a heavily tattooed Harvey Keitel. If you are more interested in a movie that conforms to a average narrative then “The Grand Budapest Hotel” may not be for you. However, if you enjoy seeing something that stands out from the norm that will hit your funny bone and peak your interest in the mystery that unfolds, than this is the movie for you this weekend. It is rated R for language, some sexual content and violence.