Zissou, where are you?

The other day I watched the DVD of the Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.  I had been meaning to watch this Wes Anderson movie for a while, though for a strange reason.  While I was in private practice, I represented a pro bono client in the 9^th Circuit who was, to my mind, wrongfully convicted for a bank fraud for which his brother was the main culprit.  (Happily, my client has just been released from prison, in part due to Booker.)  Unfortunately, the client had to face a related prosecution in New York, where he was being represented by none other than the real life Steve Zissou, a criminal defense lawyer in EDNY.  According to this article, Zissou had spoken to the film’s producers in advance to give permission for the use of his name in the movie.  I figured there might be some connection – alas, there was none.

Anyway, the movie, for which I held high expectations, disappointed, especially through the first hour, which could barely hold my attention due to its meandering pacing.  The second half was a bit better, and Willem Dafoe has some scene-stealing moments, but unless you’re an addict of all things Bill Murray and Wes Anderson, I’d advise that you just watch the Royal Tenenbaums again.  Or perhaps try L’Auberge Espagnole, which is a delightfully funny movie about a French student and his flatmates in Barcelona, with the bewitching Audrey Tatou in a small role as the protagonist’s girlfriend, who is left behind in Paris.