The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

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  • Opened December 10, 2004 
  • 1 hr 58 min
  • R | language, some drug use, violence and partial nudity
  • Parents: Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+. More on child suitability

  • Internationally famous oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) and his crew -- Team Zissou -- set sail on an expedition to hunt down the mysterious, elusive, possibly non-existant Jaguar Shark that killed Zissou's partner during the documentary filming of their latest adventure. They are joined on their voyage by a young airline co-pilot who may or may not be Zissou's son (Owen Wilson), a beautiful journalist (Cate Blanchett) assigned to write a profile of Zissou, and Zissou's estranged wife and co-producer, Eleanor (Anjelica Huston). They face overwhelming complications including pirates, kidnapping, and bankruptcy. Full synopsis

  • Cast: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum
  • Director: Wes Anderson
  • Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

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Critics say Go
62 out of 100
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Critic Reviews

100
Christian Science Monitor
| David Sterritt

The director of "Rushmore" and "The Royal Tenenbaums" scores his most funny-sad movie to date. Read full review

88
Philadelphia Inquirer
| Steven Rea

Like the old and creaky Belafonte, the film itself seems forever on the brink of drifting away. But it's the kind of drifting that's nothing but enjoyable. In fact, it's beyond enjoyable - heading into waters full of whimsy, mystery and odd, psychedelic fish. Read full review

80
The Hollywood Reporter
| Sheri Linden

Wonderfully weird and wistful adventure-comedy about a fish-out-of-water oceanographer. Read full review

75
Rolling Stone
| Peter Travers

Wilson drops the ironic smirk to give a sincerely affecting performance. His scenes with Murray provide the ballast when the script veers off into unconvincing pirate attacks and animated sea creatures. Read full review

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