a sinking feeling

I went and saw 'The Life Aquatic" last night and walked away rather sad. Being a fan of many of people in the cast and a diver myself I thought it'd be fun. Instead I found the pacing dragged, the chemistry between the characters was weak and the laughs were at a minimum. Granted, I am not a lifetime member of the Wes Anderson fan club, but still... i enjoyed the art design and the animated fish (those were fun, although distracting at times). The journey that Steve Zissou takes from depressed has-been to rediscovering his greatness became rather tedious. The moments of discovery and of devastation were laden with slow motion shots and the adventurous raids reminded me of a wanna-be keystone cops skit. Although I didn't buy their interactions, I really did enjoy the characters individually. Their quirks and the unpaid interns made the film worthwhile.