The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

★ 7.1 1h 59m 3,136 votes IMDb
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Renowned oceanographer Steve Zissou has sworn vengeance upon the rare shark that devoured a member of his crew. In addition to his regular team, he is joined on his boat by Ned, a man who believes Zissou to be his father, and Jane, a journalist pregnant by a married man. They travel the sea, all too often running into pirates and, perhaps more traumatically, various figures from Zissou's past, including his estranged wife, Eleanor.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

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Cast

Bill Murray
Bill Murray as Steve Zissou Age 75 · Wilmette, Illinois, USA William James "Bill" Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is known for his deadpan delivery in roles ranging from studio comedies to independent dramas. He h...
Owen Wilson
Owen Wilson as Ned Plimpton Age 57 · Dallas, Texas, USA Owen Cunningham Wilson (born November 18, 1968) is an American actor. He has had a long association with filmmaker Wes Anderson with whom he shared writing and acting credits for Bottle Rocket (1996),...
Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett as Jane Winslett-Richardson Age 56 · Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Catherine Elise Blanchett (born May 14, 1969) is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best actresses of her generation, she is known for her versatile work across independent films...
Anjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston as Eleanor Zissou Age 74 · Santa Monica, California, USA Anjelica Huston (born July 8, 1951) is an American actress, director, producer, author, and former fashion model. She is the daughter of director John Huston and granddaughter of actor Walter Huston....
Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe as Klaus Daimler Age 70 · Appleton, Wisconsin, USA William James "Willem" Dafoe (born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. Known for his prolific career portraying diverse roles in both mainstream and arthouse films, he is the recipient of various acc...
Jeff Goldblum
Jeff Goldblum as Alistair Hennessey Age 73 · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum (born October 22, 1952) is an American actor and musician. He has starred in some of the highest-grossing films of his era, such as Jurassic Park (1993) and Independence Day (199...

Audience Reviews

CinemaSerf 6/10 May 25, 2025
So a giant shark gobbles up his lifelong partner and Jacques Cousteau’s stunt double “Steve Zissou” (Bill Murray) promptly embarks his crew aboard his converted WWII mine hunter and sets off in search of this leviathan of the seas. Of course, “Zissou” has spent so much of his life pursuing his quest for aquatic greatness that his domestic life is a bit of a mess, and that only gets more complicate when “Ned” (Owen Wilson) shows up claiming to be his long lost son. Who knew what, when and why is quickly swept under the rubber mats as he, too, joins in the search for the menacing beast along with journalist “Jane” (Cate Blanchett) for whom they both take a bit of a shine! Meantime, “Zissou” hasn’t got too much cash, but luckily his wealthy nemesis “Hennessey” (Jeff Goldblum) has a few well stocked facilities he can pilfer from and so armed with some “borrowed” tech they set off into an un-policed zone where dangers lurk both above and below the water line. I suppose fans of Murray might get more from this, or even the dry as a bone Wilson - but for me this was all just a bit too contrived; it’s not remotely funny and if you ever saw “Le monde du silence” (1956) then you’ll have most of the basic premise laid out for you. There ought to have been some fine underwater photography but nope, not really - just a mix of dysfunctional family life and a distinct lack of aquatic life tapered to the comedic talents of a cast that offers loads of cameos but not too much else. Watchable enough, but no great shakes - sorry.

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