Aquatic Expectations

Lately I've found that my movie fandom has been going through a familiar pattern. First, I'll read about an intriguing movie 6-12 months before it comes out. Maybe there's a director or actor that I like, or the plot will pique my interest. I'll say to myself "man, that movie sounds good. Lemme put it on my List before anyone else has even heard about it." Next, I'll see that the trailer has been released, 3-4 months before the movie comes out. I go to Apple's terrific trailer site, eager to get my first look. I will be disappointed by what I see, as the trailer indicates that the movie has a different vibe than what I was anticipating. Finally, I'll see the movie, which turns out to be even worse than the trailer.

This was the pattern I experienced with The Ladykilers, The Village (which I overrated in my summer movie preview a few months back), and Anchorman. Now, I'm fearing that my most anticipated movie of the fall, The Life Aquatic, may be succumbing to the same pitfalls. Directed by Wes Anderson (Rushmore, The Royal Tennenbaums) and starring Bill Murry as an eccentric oceanographer, I had been hoping that this would be a fun, quirky, thoughtful comedy. But the underwhelming trailer just came out (along with an annoying, longer title), and my hopes are slightly muted. It's so rare nowadays that a movie lives up to my expectations, but with Anderson's track record I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.