Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I are back to watching and sharing about comfy cozy (and sometimes, chilling) movies for the fall season. Feel free to join in with us!! Our link will be live for a whole week after we post about a movie. 

This week’s movie is one that I chose, The Grand Budapest Hotel. I love Wes Anderson, and this one was one that I had seen on a lot of lists of cozy movies suggested for the season. And I hadn’t seen it yet, so bonus!

This movie stars…everyone.

Image from The Castleberry

However, the main actors were.. still a lot. I am going to say Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revelori, Jude Law, F. Murray Abraham, and Adrien Brody. Oh and Willem Dafoe. And Saoirse Ronan. Ok. I think I am done.

The summary is: In the 1930s, the Grand Budapest Hotel is a popular European ski resort, presided over by concierge Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes). Zero, a junior lobby boy, becomes Gustave’s friend and protege. Gustave prides himself on providing first-class service to the hotel’s guests, including satisfying the sexual needs of the many elderly women who stay there. When one of Gustave’s lovers dies mysteriously, Gustave finds himself the recipient of a priceless painting and the chief suspect in her murder. (Rotten Tomatoes)

This movie was not as traditionally cozy. It wasn’t a movie that was all falling leaves and hot chocolate and scenes of fireplaces crackling away. It actually had an air of sadness about it. As well as L’Air de Panache, the cologne that Gustave spritzes himself with before he leaves his room, without fail.

The movie begins with Jude Law, an author living in the Grand Budapest Hotel, years after the main story takes place. The Hotel has lost its grandeur, it is empty, lonely, with the beautiful opulent furnishings changed to a rather austere, industrial style. It no longer buzzes with energy, instead it seems to sulk along, hollow and hallowed. A reminder of days past, as times have changed.

It is a story within a story, as Law’s character meets Zero as an older man (F. Murray Abraham), after he has lived a great deal of his life. Zero begins to share the tale of the Grand Budapest Hotel, Gustave, and himself with Law’s character, known only as the author. And it is quite a tale.

Gustave, played by Ralph Fiennes, is the concierge of the Grand Budapest Hotel, a job that he takes with the utmost seriousness. Everything must be perfect for the guests, first class, and he selects Zero , played by Tony Revolori, as his protege. He takes Zero under his wing, and Zero is in awe of him. And why wouldn’t he be? Gustave is suave and sophisticated and has a power and aura about him, confidence and style. Zero is a young man, with little prospects, and so being so close to someone like Gustave, to have him as a mentor, is a very big deal to Zero.

A series of events transpires – Gustave hears of the death of a favored guest, he inherits a priceless portrait, he gets accused of murder… and there are many other misadventures that follow. Through it all, the friendship that is between Zero and Gustave is strong. They hold each other up, they keep each other going, they are truly like brothers. As men without families, they are family to each other. They are brothers in arms, as they fight to stay one step ahead of the law – and one step ahead of Dmitri and Jopling. (Brody and Dafoe)

Gustave does not ever lose who he is throughout all the trials that befall him. He believes one must maintain civility in all situations, that these manners and trappings and rituals keep the world from becoming too ugly and well, uncivilized. One line stuck with me, as I am guessing that it was supposed to.

“There are still faint glimmers of civilization left in this barbaric slaughterhouse that was once known as humanity.”

However, despite some of the darkness that is in this movie’s bones, there are those glimmers of goodness and humor. The Society of the Crossed Keys, almost every part with Ralph Fiennes, who honestly was so well cast. I don’t think any other actor could have pulled that part off with such, well, panache. I literally laughed at loud at some of his lines, just at how he could switch from gentleman to someone less refined, without breaking stride or changing his tone or delivery. And Gustave never lost who he was at the core – I loved his mush delivery scenes in the prison. It was actually a very funny movie, despite how I am making it sound! I think the parts that made me laugh most were when Zero would command Gustave not to flirt with his girl!

There were some scenes I loved because they made me think of Fantastic Mr. Fox. Scenes where Zero and Gustave were running from hotel to hotel and boarding and getting off different modes of transportation and it showed them as silhouettes, moving with that bouncy little sneaky tiptoe. Or on the motorbike together – so very Fantastic Mr. Fox, another Anderson film.

I loved these moments, their friendship, these glimmers of civility. I am reminded of two very different things. First, their relationship reminded me of the friendship between Lev and Kolya in City of Thieves, one of my very favorite books. And second, the glimmers. A year or two ago, people were talking about glimmers, “tiny, seemingly insignificant moments when you feel a sense of joy, pleasure, peace, and gratitude.” Those moments when you are snuggled up in bed, under a blanket, enjoying a movie with a loved one. The wind ruffling your hair. The scent of a pine forest on a winter day. You know what your glimmers are. And that is the coziness of this movie. Friendship, and looking for those little moments of joy.

And, I will end here because I have written a novel! Oh – quickly I want to say that this movie was based upon the writings of Stefan Zweig.

And ok one more thing. Jeez Louise so many things today! I saw this online the other day and it made me laugh. I thought you guys might like it too. Prada’s catwalk of villains – which has some very amazing and talented actors in it. I loved it.

Did you watch? What do you think of this movie? Feel free to comment and link up with us about it! The link is open for a week. You can read Lisa’s thoughts here!

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Next up is our very last Comfy Cozy Cinema movie! We are having a watch party for Chocolat. How this works: Join our discord, The Dames, which is where we will chat to each other during the movie. We will gather there, then all press play at the same time – 7pm EST on Sunday November 17th (the day after my birthday!). I am planning on having some good chocolate to nibble on while watching.

You can join our discord here!

And this is not the end of Comfy Cozy over here and at Boondock Ramblings. Just like last year, we will have a month long linky open for all holiday content! We call it Comfy Cozy Christmas, but it is for all comfy cozy anything you do in December. We will take a few weeks off then look for the linky December 1!