"THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU" (2004) (Bill Murray, Owen Wilson) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Extreme Heavy Extreme Moderate Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild None Heavy Minor Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Extreme Moderate Moderate Extreme QUICK TAKE: Comedy: A famous oceanographer must contend with various obstacles and developments as he sets out to get revenge on a mysterious shark that ate his friend and crewmember. PLOT: Steve Zissou (BILL MURRAY) is a famous, 52-year-old oceanographer known for the documentary films made during his crew's various aquatic adventures. During his last one, which resulted in a film not generously received by those who've attended the premiere, Steve's best friend was eaten by what he could only describe as a "jaguar shark." Wanting revenge, Steve plans on documenting himself and the crew of The Belafonte finding and killing the beast. Among those accompanying him is Eleanor Zissou (ANJELICA HUSTON), his rich wife; German engineer Klaus Daimler (WILLEM DAFOE); physicist and composer Vladimir Wolodarsky (NOAH TAYLOR); safety expert Pelé dos Santos (SEU JORGE); script girl Anne-Marie Sakowitz (ROBYN COHEN); cameraman Vikram Ray (WARIS AHLUWALIA); frogman Bobby Ogata (NIELS KOIZUMI) and sound man Renzo Pietro (PAWEL WDOWCZAK). Also on board are various outsiders, including bondsman Bill Ubell (BUD CORT), pregnant reporter Jane Winslett-Richardson (CATE BLANCHETT), and the surprise guest, pilot Ned Plimpton (OWEN WILSON) who claims he's Steve's son from a previous, but not serious romantic encounter. To the dismay of Klaus, Steve offers Ned a job on the ship, mainly out of a sense of duty, but also to give him time to figure out if they're really related. When producer Oseary Drakoulias (MICHAEL GAMBON) can't come up with the funds to finance this expedition and film -- much to Steve's dismay since he's always lived in the shadow of his rich rival and Eleanor's ex-husband, Alistair Hennessey (JEFF GOLDBLUM) -- Ned uses his inheritance to get them on their way. As they head off to find the mysterious shark, Steve must contend with his failing marriage, his and Ned's growing attraction toward Jane, and even a bunch of pilots that intercept their ship. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of anyone in the cast or director Wes Anderson, they just might (although this one seems most attractive to older teens). WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For language, some drug use, violence and partial nudity. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: BILL MURRAY plays a famous and egotistical oceanographer who wants revenge on the shark that killed a crewmember, but must contend with a failing marriage, his feelings for Jane, his uncertainty about Ned and a bunch of pirates. He smokes pot and uses strong profanity. OWEN WILSON plays a friendly pilot who may be Steve's love child and joins the crew on Steve's insistence. He smokes pot as well as a pipe, and fools around with Jane. CATE BLANCHETT plays a pregnant and single reporter who's onboard to interview Steve but ends up fooling around with Ned. She uses some profanity. ANJELICA HUSTON plays Steve's rich but unhappy wife who was once married to Alistair and smokes a great deal. WILLEM DAFOE plays the engineer who isn't happy with Steve bringing Ned on as a crewmember. He uses some strong profanity. JEFF GOLDBLUM plays Steve's wealthy rival who was once married to Eleanor. He uses some strong profanity. MICHAEL GAMBON plays the crew's producer who briefly uses strong profanity. NOAH TAYLOR plays the documentary crew's composer. BUD CORT plays the bondsman who accompanies the crew on their expedition and briefly uses strong profanity. SEU JORGE plays the safety expert who serenades the crew with Portuguese covers of David Bowie songs. ROBYN COHEN plays the crew's script girl who spends all of her time topless (in front of the predominantly male crew). WARIS AHLUWALIA plays the crew's cameraman. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated comedy. Profanity consists of at least 16 "f" words, while other expletives and many colorful phrases are also uttered. Some sexually related dialogue is present, some brief fooling around occurs, a woman is repeatedly seen topless in front of the men, some men are seen in small bathing suits, and a single woman is pregnant. Violence consists of various shootings (some of which are lethal and with bloody results, while others are injured), a machete landing in a person's shoulder (with bloody results), some explosives blowing up property, people hitting or otherwise striking others, an accidental death and talk of a person being killed by a shark. Some of that may be suspenseful for some more sensitive viewers, but much of it's played more for quirkiness than true suspense. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, some drink and/or smoke, and a few smoke pot (one quite a bit). A couple is having marital problems and a character states that his mother recently died. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's some jumpy handheld camera work in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Miscellaneous people have drinks at a reception, while Eleanor has one as well. Miscellaneous people have drinks at a reception. Steve states that he's going on an "overnight drunk." Steve smokes a joint. Oseary has a drink. Steve and Ned share a joint. We see a cut-away tour of the ship, including the galley that holds many wine bottles. A waiter pours wine for Steve who tastes it. Steve has a shot of liquor, but Ned tosses his aside without having any. A comment is made about doing a "piss test" (drug testing), but that never occurs. Klaus and others have beer. Steve asks an intern for a drink. Jane drinks from Steve's glass and he calls her on that (for drinking while pregnant). Steve has a joint. Steve pours liquor into whatever he's drinking. Steve has a joint. Bill has a drink. Alistair has wine. We see Steve rolling his own joint. Steve has a joint. Steve states that he had the best rum cannonball he ever tasted at a hotel bar. Bill comments on stealing wine. Steve has a joint. BLOOD/GORE Steve has a tiny bloody lip after being punched. Steve shoots a pirate in the neck (with bloody results), causing the large blade the pirate's holding to cut into an intern's shoulder (with bloody results). We later see a blood-soaked bandage over the wound. Ned has some blood on his head after being hit. We see a dead and bloody pirate with blood around him. Klaus has some blood on him. A pirate shoots Alistair in the chest (seemingly killing him, but he's later alive), with bloody results (then and later). We see blood on a wounded man's face and a lot in the water around him. We then see that he's dead. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Steve refers to Alistair as a "slick faggot" and later makes a reference about a "closet queer." A derogatory comment is made about a "gay earring." Steve states that a woman is a "rich bitch." We hear that Jane is pregnant (and unmarried). While leaving a message on the phone to the baby's father, she states that she doesn't know why she's still pregnant (some viewers might not like that abortion reference). After Jane says that she thought part of Steve's film was fake, he suddenly pulls a gun and angrily asks her if it looks fake. Steve refers to Jane as a "bull dyke." Steve tells a person that he's a bad company stooge, but then apologizes for doing so. Jane drinks from Steve's glass and he calls her on that (for drinking while pregnant). Steve has his crew break into Alistair's research station to obtain supplies. Steve has a bad attitude for ignoring advice about the prospect of sailing into unprotected waters. Various pirates who attack the ship obviously have bad attitudes (they also kidnap Bill). We see a three-legged dog that Steve has taken as a pet and Alistair hits it on the head to silence it (which works, but we don't see the actual impact and the dog otherwise seems fine). Bill comments on stealing wine. FRIGHTENING SCENES A person is briefly given CPR (which could be disturbing for anyone who's needed, performed or seen that occur). Pirates climb onto the ship and we then see some holding guns to Klaus's head, and he has some blood on his face. The pirates then use handguns, machine guns and a machete to threaten others. A pirate then hits Ned on the head, knocking him out, and Bill is then hit. After everyone is tied up, Steve has had enough. He frees himself, hits and throws one pirate overboard, and then grabs a gun with which he shoots at the many pirates, who shoot back. A grenade explodes onboard the ship and Steve fires at more pirates, hitting and killing some. One holds an intern hostage with a machete, but Steve shoots him in the neck anyway (with bloody results), causing the large blade to cut into the intern's shoulder (with bloody results). Despite the content, most of the above is played to be quirky rather than traditionally disturbing or suspenseful. Steve and his crew rush a dilapidated hotel on a rescue mission, carrying guns and a harpoon gun (but the place initially seems empty). A pirate shoots Alistair in the chest (seemingly killing him, but he's later alive), with bloody results (then and later). Many pirates then shoot at Steve who returns gunfire at them. A three-legged dog is left behind on an island as the crew escapes from it (some might worry about it). Two men are in a chopper as it goes out of control and crashes into the sea (seen in a point of view shot), with one of them being mortally wounded. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Machine guns/Machete/Dynamite: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others and/or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details. After Jane says that she thought part of Steve's film was fake, he suddenly pulls a gun and angrily asks her if it looks fake. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Get him out of the f*cking water," "F-ing" (said just like that), "You f*cked us," "You better bet your f*cking ass," "Before I have my f*cking baby," "(Crooked) f*ckers," "So f*cked up," "So f*cking hard," "Jesus holy f*ck," "What a f*cking nightmare," "Those f*cking amateurs," "What the f*ck are you doing in here?" "I don't f*cking know," "We f*cking stole it, man," "(This is) Bullsh*t," "Who/No one else gives a sh*t," "Major sh*t storm," "Be cool on this sh*t," "Holy sh*t," "Slick faggot" and "Closet queer" (how Steve refers to Alistair), "Bloke," "Old man," "Light a fire under his ass," "What the hell?" "I'll be damned," "Big time asshole," "He can go straight to hell," "She's a rich bitch," "That was a G*ddamn tearjerker," "Does it freak you out?" "I'll kick your G*ddamn teeth out," "Bull-dyke" (how Steve refers to Jane), "Are you going to screw us?" (nonsexual), "Shut up," "I'm so pissed," "Get your ass the hell off my boat," "You losers," "Bloody hell," "You're a scumbag," "Damn you for that," "You sons of bitches," "That pregnant slut," "Screw off," "This sucks" and "Screw it." Some pirates have tattoos. We see Klaus in the past with a Mohawk style haircut. We see a three-legged dog that Steve has taken as a pet and Alistair hits it on the head to silence it (which works, but we don't see the actual impact and the dog otherwise seems fine). Oseary asks (about Jane), "Who knocked up the reporter?" JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of suspenseful music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) A song had at least 1 use of "G-damn" in it. PROFANITY At least 16 "f" words, 18 "s" words, 1 slang term using male genitals ("pr*ck"), 10 damns, 6 asses (2 used with hole), 4 hells, 4 S.O.B.s, 10 uses of "G-damn," 2 of "Jesus" and 1 use each of "Jesus Christ," "Oh God" and "Oh my God." SEX/NUDITY We see Anne-Marie standing topless and hear that she's a former stripper. A woman shows some cleavage and it's somewhat implied she had an affair with Steve. We hear that Jane is pregnant (and unmarried). She later admits that she's five months pregnant by her editor (who isn't her husband). We see Anne-Marie sunbathing topless. We see Anne-Marie's bare breasts while she's seated and then again while she's jogging topless with the guys. In his film, Steve is briefly seen in a small, Speedo-type bathing suit when he dives into a hole cut into the icy waters. Steve states that if Jane "were a bull-dyke," that he'd have a thing for her. We see Ned in a Speedo-type bathing suit in a hot tub. Others are in small suits as well, with some prominent bulges seen in the front of some. Alistair wears a Speedo-type bathing suit with a bulge in the front. Ned and Jane do some passionate clothed kissing, with him then removing his shirt and she getting on top of him (clothed), but they just end up talking. We see Steve in a small, Speedo-type bathing suit. Steve confronts Jane and asks if she's sleeping with Ned (she says no). We see a shirtless young man with Eleanor, suggesting some possible fooling around. We see Ned and Jane in bed, with the latter looking quite buxom in a t-shirt. Steve finds them this way and refers to her as a "pregnant slut." Eleanor states that Steve shoots blanks (meaning sperm). Oseary asks (about Jane), "Who knocked up the reporter?" SMOKING Eleanor smokes at least 10 times, Ned smokes a pipe at least 5 times, and various crewmembers and some miscellaneous characters smoke in several scenes. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We hear that Ned's mother recently died, and it's suggested that he's Steve's son. Steve mentions that he and Eleanor are having marital problems. We learn that Steve was married before his current marriage to Eleanor and he later talks of his first wife leaving him. We learn that Eleanor and Alistair were previously married. Steve states that he hated his father and never wanted to be one himself when Ned asks why he never contacted him. Eleanor is leaving the mission (and presumably Steve). TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT We hear that Ned's mother overdosed on sleeping pills after having ovarian cancer. We hear that Jane is pregnant (and unmarried). While leaving a message on the phone to the baby's father, she states that she doesn't know why she's still pregnant (some viewers might not like that abortion reference). Alistair states that they don't make good husbands, but that his excuse is that he's part gay. Oceanographers. VIOLENCE We hear that a crewmember was eaten by a shark-like creature (not seen and there's no body or aftermath). After a guy heckles him, Steve rushes at the guy and grabs him by the throat, but is punched in the face before being separated. Eleanor tells Steve that a rattlesnake killed his cat, but we never see or hear anything more about that. Klaus slaps Ned's face to make a point. Ned slaps Klaus. Pirates climb onto the ship and we then see some holding guns to Klaus's head, and he has some blood on his face. The pirates then use handguns, machine guns and a machete to threaten others. A pirate then hits Ned on the head, knocking him out, and Bill is then hit. After everyone is tied up, Steve has had enough. He frees himself, hits and throws one pirate overboard, and then grabs a gun with which he shoots at the many pirates, who shoot back. A grenade explodes onboard the ship and Steve fires at more pirates, hitting and killing some. One holds an intern hostage with a machete, but Steve shoots him in the neck anyway (with bloody results), causing the large blade to cut into the intern's shoulder (with bloody results). Despite the content, most of the above is played to be quirky rather than traditionally disturbing or suspenseful. We see a three-legged dog that Steve has taken as a pet and Alistair hits it on the head to silence it (which works, but we don't see the actual impact and the dog otherwise seems fine). Steve punches Ned who then comes back at him with a punch. Steve falls down some steps but is okay. A pirate shoots Alistair in the chest (seemingly killing him, but he's later alive), with bloody results (then and later). Many pirates then shoot at Steve who returns gunfire at them. There's a big dynamite-based explosion that blows out part of a room. There's a gun battle between Steve's crew and some pirates, with one of the crewmembers being hit in the leg. The crew uses dynamite to blow up a boat. Two men are in a chopper as it goes out of control and crashes into the sea (seen in a point of view shot), with one of them being mortally wounded. Reviewed December 7, 2004 / Posted December 24, 2004

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