Films of Wes Anderson are difficult to rank. First, there is not a single bad film, or even a mediocre one. And second, each film has something to say, all are personal films with a beating, empathetic and kind hearth beneath. So how one go about ranking them? Well, one might go for technicalities and how they are made, and how they look, and how gorgeous the colors are, but that too would be inappropriate, because it would be an insult to such delicately and deeply made films to rank on their visuals only.
Besides his visual mastery and knack for deliberate attention is evident in nearly all his films. So in the end it all comes down to how one relates with his films personally and find some part of their own life in them or some reflection of their own persona in his characters. So, let’s get into the list of “All Wes Anderson Movies ranked from worst to best“
Wes Anderson Movies Ranked
9. The Darjeeling Limited
2007 ‧ Adventure/Comedy-drama
Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Amara Karan, Bill Murray and more
IMDb Ratings: 7.2/10
By no means a bad film, but it is accused of being somewhat underwhelming, yet it is enjoyable all along. It has its charm with Jason, Adrian, and Owen as three brothers meeting in India for their spiritual journey. One of them had a near-death experience and makes him feel that the brothers should get together and be like real brothers.
And these three are very different people, they have their own things going on, they have their own problems, guilt, tendencies, quirks. And although the film is fun and comedic, there are unmentioned tragedies and some forlorn past. And that makes it an interesting film, layered, with lots of things underneath to peel off and of course the usual Andersonian approach.
8. Bottle Rocket
1996 ‧ Comedy/Crime
Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Robert Musgrave, Andrew Wilson, James Caan and more
IMDb Ratings: 7/10
Martin Scorsese named this film as one of his top 10 favorite films of the 1990s, which says a lot about its potential. It’s rough around the edges, unrefined but pure fun, and undeniably authentic. It shows how much potential Wes Anderson had at an early age. Once Martin Scorsese was asked who he thought would be next Scorsese. His choice was Anderson! It seems quite strange now to think Wes Anderson and Martin Scorsese as the same or even on the same page. Yet, they are two passionate auteurs doing great in their own type of filmmaking. And most importantly they admire each other’s work immensely.
7. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
2004 ‧ Comedy/Comedy-drama
Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Anjelica Huston and more
IMDb Ratings: 7.3/10
With so delicate and challenging sets, and again, hugely talented cast, quirks, and Bill Murray, this film is pure fun. Yes, it seems so disjointed, but each part as an individual is so rewarding that the disjunction doesn’t seem a disadvantage at all. The center is a strange father-son relationship, Bill Murray as a Father and Owen Wilson as a son. It is strange, funnily, and in its own way quite intimate and heartful. With Cate Blanchett and Jeff Goldblum, it has some very great charm. And Willem Dafoe is so precious here!
6. Moonrise kingdom
2012 ‧ Romance/Comedy-drama
Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Kara Hayward, Jared Gilman, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Bruce Willis and more
IMDb Ratings: 7.8/10
With very idiosyncratic plot, and setting and characters, this is full of its own rules and is so magical, fun and emotive. This is so perfectly structured, casted and made that it really feels too good to be true. Every element is so delicate. And the film is so fantastical in a very good way. It is better than even real life films and conveys what even a realistic movie cannot. In every Anderson film there is a certain melancholic sadness, and here that is through Bill Murray’s character. It is such a charming film.
5. Fantastic Mr. Fox
2009 ‧ Family/Comedy
Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Wes Anderson, George Clooney, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Meryl Streep and more
IMDb Ratings: 7.9/10
What an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book. Charming, mischievous, and complete fun. The dialogues are crisp and so idiosyncratic. It is so quirky even for Anderson’s standards. The visuals of this masterful stock motion animation are just admirable. Perfectly structured and made with so much care and attention. Both the stock motion works of him are so masterful in how they are made that, the third would be welcomed blindly. He is done with Dogs and Foxes and Cats, he just needs some more animals.
4. Isle of Dogs
2018 ‧ Comedy/Adventure
Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Bryan Cranston, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Edward Norton, Scarlett Johansson and more
IMDb Ratings: 7.9/10
While the Isle Of Dogs is always placed below Fantastic Mr. Fox, I found Isle Of Dogs more personal and humane. Yes, Fantastic Mr. Fox might be a better film in many aspects, but personally, I like Dogs better than Fox! Well, apart from that, it works perfectly, it has got such a beautiful commentary, lovely dogs, a delicately made world from the very scratch. And it has a lot to say. It is such a delightful experience yet, it also provides moments of sudden and unexpected sadness and melancholy but it never feels preachy, dramatic, or clichéd. It is just so good.
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
2014 ‧ Comedy/Crime
Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Saoirse Ronan, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe
IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
Often regarded as the best Anderson, also his peak point as well. That perhaps might be true in terms of visuals and his technical mastery and craft. It is extremely ambitious and perhaps his most critically recognized film to date. Every frame, every shot is masterful and precise, and music too, is completely phenomenal, earning an Oscar nomination for it and the Best Picture nomination as well. The ensemble of the cast is just outstanding, with Ralph Fiennes giving an utterly amazing performance.
2. The Royal Tenanbaums
2001 ‧ Comedy-drama/Drama
Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Luke Wilson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Owen Wilson, Gene Hackman, Ben Stiller
IMDb Ratings: 7.6/10
The film is truly and perfectly his. It is perhaps the most trademark film in his entire filmography, even above “The Grand Budapest Hotel”. The dysfunctional family, screwed relationships, people trying to do something about it, quirkiness, humor, the Andersonian pans, the symmetry, the ironic narrator who knows it all, and of course Bill Murray and Owen Wilson. Everything is there. And it is his most deeply felt work as well. Anderson always has been great in portraying the broken, strange relationships and it really has that intimacy and empathy and kind, beating heart, which never fails to make you feel all kinds of emotions.
1. Rushmore
1998 ‧ Comedy/Indie film
Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Olivia Williams, Bill Murray, Brian Cox, Owen Wilson and more
IMDb Ratings: 7.7/10
Not a very usual choice but it is the most Andersonian Anderson film there is. Of course minus the visuals. Yes, visual is a very crucial part of his films and some say even most important and central. Yes, his films are visually idiosyncratic and make Anderson what he is. But they all have other Anderson elements which are only seen in his films and are subtle to find out. There is a certain tragedy, dysfunction, and existential crisis and they are somewhat below the surface and overlooked because of the visual and technical mastery and his unusual choices as a filmmaker. While this mastery cannot be neglected and enhances the overall effect, yet it isn’t the actual film.
Rushmore is the most quirky Anderson film, and sad in its way too. Nostalgic and self-reflecting and thoughtful. It’s like Anderson looking at his 15-year self emphatically from his current age and experience, but also maintaining that usual boyish approach and feel to them, which makes it even more insightful and interesting. Max Fisher is such a mesmerizing character; flawed, arrogant, self-indulgent. The film also has, again, Bill Murray, representing some sort of sadness and detachment and dysfunction. It is not a perfect Anderson but perhaps one of the most memorable.
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