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The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

  • 2004
  • R
  • 1h 59m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
203K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,605
27
Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Cate Blanchett, Bud Cort, Anjelica Huston, Michael Gambon, and Owen Wilson in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
CT #1 Post
Play trailer2:32
2 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionAdventureComedy

With a plan to exact revenge on a mythical shark that killed his partner, Oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife, a journalist, and a man wh... Read allWith a plan to exact revenge on a mythical shark that killed his partner, Oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife, a journalist, and a man who may or may not be his son.With a plan to exact revenge on a mythical shark that killed his partner, Oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife, a journalist, and a man who may or may not be his son.

  • Director
    • Wes Anderson
  • Writers
    • Wes Anderson
    • Noah Baumbach
  • Stars
    • Bill Murray
    • Owen Wilson
    • Anjelica Huston
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    203K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,605
    27
    • Director
      • Wes Anderson
    • Writers
      • Wes Anderson
      • Noah Baumbach
    • Stars
      • Bill Murray
      • Owen Wilson
      • Anjelica Huston
    • 718User reviews
    • 266Critic reviews
    • 62Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 10 nominations

    Videos2

    The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
    Trailer 2:32
    Watch The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
    A Guide to the Films of Wes Anderson
    Clip 1:57
    Watch A Guide to the Films of Wes Anderson

    Photos134

    Jeff Goldblum and Bill Murray in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
    Owen Wilson in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
    Willem Dafoe in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
    Bill Murray and Willem Dafoe in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
    Robyn Cohen and Noah Taylor in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
    Robyn Cohen and Noah Taylor in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
    Noah Baumbach and Michael Gambon in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
    Bill Murray and Owen Wilson in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
    Anjelica Huston in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
    The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
    Noah Taylor and Seu Jorge in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
    Bud Cort and Michael Gambon in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Bill Murray
    Bill Murray
    • Steve Zissou
    Owen Wilson
    Owen Wilson
    • Ned Plimpton
    Anjelica Huston
    Anjelica Huston
    • Eleanor Zissou
    Cate Blanchett
    Cate Blanchett
    • Jane Winslett-Richardson
    Willem Dafoe
    Willem Dafoe
    • Klaus Daimler
    Jeff Goldblum
    Jeff Goldblum
    • Alistair Hennessey
    Michael Gambon
    Michael Gambon
    • Oseary Drakoulias
    Noah Taylor
    Noah Taylor
    • Vladimir Wolodarsky
    Bud Cort
    Bud Cort
    • Bill Ubell
    Seu Jorge
    Seu Jorge
    • Pelé dos Santos
    Robyn Cohen
    Robyn Cohen
    • Anne-Marie Sakowitz
    Waris Ahluwalia
    Waris Ahluwalia
    • Vikram Ray
    Niels Koizumi
    • Bobby Ogata
    Pawel Wdowczak
    • Renzo Pietro
    Matthew Gray Gubler
    Matthew Gray Gubler
    • Intern #1
    Seymour Cassel
    Seymour Cassel
    • Esteban du Plantier
    Antonio Monda
    • Festival Director
    Isabella Blow
    • Antonia Cook
    • Director
      • Wes Anderson
    • Writers
      • Wes Anderson
      • Noah Baumbach
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Wes Anderson Films as Ranked by IMDb Rating

    Wes Anderson Films as Ranked by IMDb Rating

    See how IMDb users rated Wes Anderson's films from Bottle Rocket to The French Dispatch.
    See the full list
    Production art
    Photos

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Cate Blanchett never rehearsed with the crew and hadn't even met most of them before filming the nighttime electric jellyfish scene in which she first appears in the movie to add spontaneity to the scene.
    • Goofs
      Jane says she's reading a "six volume novel" to her unborn child, but is holding one volume in her hands while six others are lying on the chair, which makes it a seven volume novel.
    • Quotes

      [a woman asks a question about the shark Zissou is hunting]

      Festival Director: [translating] That's an endangered species at most. What would be the scientific purpose of killing it?

      Steve Zissou: Revenge.

    • Crazy credits
      During the end credits the filmmakers acknowledge that the real Steve Zissou is a prominent attorney in New York City specializing in complex federal litigation.
    • Connections
      Featured in Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Bill Murray/Tony Bennett (2004)
    • Soundtracks
      Main Title
      from Innerspace

      Written and Performed by Sven Libaek

      Courtesy of Ron Taylor Film Productions

    User reviews718

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    In twelve years, the baby will be eleven and a half.
    What a stunning body of work Wes Anderson has created. I will be honest, when I first saw the previews to this film I was worried that Anderson may have gone the way of so many other directors who have developed their name in Hollywood. Art is replaced by money, which is replaced by angry fans. I saw the CGI fish and began to feel a sweat break with nervousness. Will he be able to continue the humor from Bottle Rocket, the darkness of Rushmore, as well as the ensemble connectedness from The Royal Tennanbaums? Well, folks, I am here to announce that he has taken the Hollywood money and has not veered too far off his signature course. I always imagine Anderson's work as a very dry martini. His humor, the most intelligent work I have seen in a long time, is like the liquid itself, creating this bold texture while packing a powerful emotional punch. The olives are the cast, giving just some extra to nibble on while you enjoy the entire drink. Place these elements together, the drink and olives, and you have The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

    To begin with, this film would not have worked without anyone else in the lead than Bill Murray. His ability to contain himself while also giving us the emotional stress of being a first-time dad as well as loosing his best friend is Oscar worthy. He is the perfect guide for our trip, giving us that knowledgeable laugh as well as those sympathetic eyes that seem to shout, "Everything will work out". He is bold and smooth as both the Captain of the vessel as well as learning the tricks of being a father. His ability to deliver his lines was both crucial and beautifully timed giving us just enough to make us fall in love with him by the end of the film. Coupled with his amazing performances is the work of everyone else involved. Willem Dafoe proves that he can handle any role, big or small, and make it very memorable. My favorite character during this voyage was Cate Blanchett's role that nearly stole the show from Murray. Her multi-depth character gave us just the distraction that we needed to see the power of the father/son relationship. Her quirks take us deep into the human soul and give us a mother's perspective to this mission. It is a beautiful counter to Murray's passive/aggressive father figure. Goldblum is quickly becoming a favorite actor of mine, while Huston proves that she still has the ability inside of her. Both of these guys need to see more work. The rest of the eclectic cast ranges from the hilarious "interns" to the melancholy songs of David Bowie (see if you can spot them!). Even Noah Taylor (of Vanilla Sky fame) turned out a stunning performance. The cast shines through beautifully, playing off each other, giving us some of the best performances of the year.

    I will admit, Anderson's comic narrative will leave this dry taste in your mouth, but for me it was a great experience. His humor is dry, his films are dry, but that is what makes him different than others in his field. He gives us those long pauses and obscure references that will either force you to think or create frustration because you do not understand his meaning. I have grown up on his films since seeing Bottle Rocket, and I love the way this man creates. One of my favorite lines and scenes in this film that I have raved to everyone as the epitome of an Anderson film was when Zissou first takes Ned to the island and Eleanor tells Steve that one of his cats died. After some banter, Ned asks what type of cat it was. Zissou replies "Who cares. A tabby I think…" which isn't funny at first, but then you realize that all he has on the island are Siamese cats, which only make me laugh harder in my seat. That is Wes Anderson humor, and it works perfectly for me. His ability to create these challenging characters and put them in situations that I never saw coming (the "pirates" scene being one of them) was outstanding. It felt as if he was throwing his crew into different troubles daily who in turn produced some of the best work ever. Only Wes Anderson could create beauty out of chaos.

    My fear of the CGI was muted immediately when I saw that Anderson used the technique to create some of the most imaginative creatures ever to lurk in the sea impressed me. He didn't use it as a central focus of the film (until the end), and used it sporadically so that it really didn't feel as if it was being used. The creatures that he created are so bold and colorful that skillfully he uses them to counter the life of Zissou, which seems be getting darker by the day. This contrast allowed me to see deeper into Murray's character and root for his misadventures throughout the entire film.

    Overall, I was very impressed. I know that not many enjoyed this picture as much as his previous works, but for me it was a fresh chapter with a stellar cast. Anderson is slowly changing the face of cinema, and soon others will follow trying to recreate his award winning voice, but will not succeed. This man is in the same boat as Gondry, Coppola, Jonez, and Kaufman. These are the imaginative thinkers of Hollywood that continually break the mold and open the doors to new possibilities.

    Grade: ***** out of *****
    helpful•286
    123
    • film-critic
    • Jan 12, 2005

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 25, 2004 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Icelandic
      • Filipino
      • Portuguese
      • French
      • Tagalog
      • German
      • Italian
    • Also known as
      • The Life Aquatic
    • Filming locations
      • Naples, Campania, Italy
    • Production companies
      • Touchstone Pictures
      • American Empirical Pictures
      • Scott Rudin Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $50,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $24,020,403
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $113,085
      • Dec 12, 2004
    • Gross worldwide
      • $34,809,623
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 59 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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    Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Cate Blanchett, Bud Cort, Anjelica Huston, Michael Gambon, and Owen Wilson in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
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