“The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is the damnedest film,” said legendary film critic Roger Ebert when it was released in 2004. Both an homage to and parody of French diving pioneer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, The Life Aquatic is a comedic adventure full of quirky characters in search of what lurks beneath the ocean’s surface. This film is the final installment of the Catalina Island Museum’s summer film series: Movies at the Museum. The screening will take place in the museum’s outdoor amphitheater on Wednesday, August 23 at dusk.
“The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is the damnedest film,” said legendary film critic Roger Ebert when it was released in 2004. Both an homage to and parody of French diving pioneer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, The Life Aquatic is a comedic adventure full of quirky characters in search of what lurks beneath the ocean’s surface. This film is the final installment of the Catalina Island Museum’s summer film series: Movies at the Museum. The screening will take place in the museum’s outdoor amphitheater on Wednesday, August 23 at dusk.
Directed by Wes Anderson, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou tells the story of an eccentric oceanographer, played by Bill Murray, who sets out to destroy the elusive “Jaguar shark” that ate his best friend and chief diver Esteban. Like other Anderson films, it is teeming with A-list actors such as Anjelica Huston, Jeff Goldblum, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe and Cate Blanchett. The mission of Team Zissou is to find the deadly shark, exact revenge, and document the entire expedition. Throughout their journey they face overwhelming complications including pirates, kidnapping and bankruptcy.
The film itself is both whimsical and sad. The Hollywood Reporter called it a “wonderfully weird and wistful adventure-comedy about a fish-out-of-water oceanographer.”
Movies at the Museum takes advantage of the Catalina Island Museum’s outdoor amphitheater and Avalon’s beautiful summer nights. This program highlights classic family-friendly films whose themes may be related to the island or to museums in general. This selection was inspired by the island’s diving history and its connection to the Cousteau family. The evening also offers late night access to the special exhibition Chihuly at the Catalina Island Museum when the outdoor installations are dramatically illuminated.
The museum will re-open at 7:00 pm and the film will begin at dusk (around 8:00 pm) in the outdoor amphitheater. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own snacks and beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). However, please do not bring glass.
The Movies at the Museum screening of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou will take place on Wednesday, August 23. Tickets are $3 for museum members, $17 for adults and $15 for seniors, military and students with a valid I.D. Children (age 15 and under) receive free admission with a paid adult. Admission may be purchased online at CatalinaMuseum.org, in person at the museum’s visitor services desk, or upon arrival at the door.
The Catalina Island Museum offers the best in art and history exhibitions, music and dance performances, lectures by guest speakers from all over the world, and the finest in silent, documentary and international film. Open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, except Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The new Ada Blanche Wrigley Schreiner Building is located in the heart of Avalon at 217 Metropole Avenue. For more information, the museum may be reached by phone at 310-510-2414 or at its website: CatalinaMuseum.org.
