I mean, I don't know what to tell you, the motherfucker did it again. This thing is absolutely delightful. This is the most enervating and purely joyful film I've seen all year by a considerable margin, and I can't wait to see it again. I wish I could watch it again right now.

Every character just feels so fully realized, every storyline and narrative shift so organic and full of possibilities. It's a miracle PTA and his team are able to pull it off at all, and it's an even bigger miracle that they make it look easy. The ensemble cast is phenomenal, there's at least one surprise cameo that came as a complete and hilarious surprise (which is reinforced by the performer listed as playing the part in the end credits), and multiple sequences here rank as some of the best stuff Anderson has ever done.

While I can understand some of the concern about the age difference in the abstract, I don't think it makes sense unless you actually sit through the film and get to spend time with these characters. Which one would think would be a requirement in order to express an opinion on something, and yet, here we are.

On the other hand, I'm sympathetic to the qualms raised about a certain comedic bit involving a Japanese restaurant. It's not my place to say that it's fine, and even though I think it's clear that the target of the joke is the white character making it, it doesn't necessarily do the Asian characters who are tolerating it in the moment any favors either.

Anyway, I'm off to watch a little film called The Bridges at Toko-Ri.