True escapist bliss! So trippy, like being sucked into a new world you don't really want to leave. The story seems to unfold as spontaneously as the characters take it. The direction and editing make you feel like you're on the trip with the brothers Francis (Owen Wilson), Peter (Adrien Brody) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman) Whitman, who, in their own clumsy way, try to find some meaning in their lives after the death of their father.
It's fascinating how the subplots, other characters and attention to detail don't detract from the main story, without the feel of an omniscient manipulation behind the scenes. You tend to accept anything that is thrown in an attractively haphazard fashion on screen; you drink in all their imperfections and are hooked for more. The casting of the brothers is perfect; their faces are all so enticingly odd, they don't really seem like they're acting.
I feel this is where quirky director Wes Anderson excels: being able to march to the beat of his own drummer while getting others on board with him.