The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
| The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Wes Anderson |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Robert Yeoman |
| Edited by | David Moritz |
| Music by | Mark Mothersbaugh |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
Release dates |
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Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $50 million |
| Box office | $34.8 million |
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is a 2004 American adventure comedy-drama film written by Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach and directed by Anderson. It is Anderson's fourth feature-length film and was released in the United States on December 25, 2004.
The film stars Bill Murray as Steve Zissou, an eccentric oceanographer who sets out with his crew to exact revenge on the "jaguar shark" that ate his partner Esteban. Zissou is both a parody of and homage to French diving pioneer Jacques Cousteau, to whom the film is dedicated.
The film also features Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon, Jeff Goldblum, Anjelica Huston, and Bud Cort. Seu Jorge has a minor part, but contributes heavily to the film's soundtrack. It was filmed in and around Rome, Naples, Ponza, and the Italian Riviera.
The film was released to mixed reviews and was a box office flop. In the decade following its release it has garnered a cult following, and is now viewed more positively by both critics and fans. It was also since remastered and re-released by the Criterion Collection in 2014.