Entertainment

Ever Wanted to Live in the Tenenbuams' Brownstone?

by Anneliese Cooper

With The Grand Budapest Hotel set to hit theaters this Friday, Wes Anderson fans are likely mainlining the auteur's back catalogue in anticipation of his latest installment — which means, of course, a slew of offbeat characters, symmetrical pastel set-ups, and a lot of choice real estate. In case viewers start to get envious, say, imagining themselves kicking back on the deck of Steve Zissou's Belafonte, MTV has created "Wes Anderson Realty": Set against an appropriately pastel pink background, these mock listings include prices and specs for five of Anderson's film locations, informing inquiring fans that, say, Rushmore Academy is go-kart accessible and Fantastic Mr. Fox's treehouse has original dirt floors.

Still, to no one's surprise given his hyper-polished production design, the estimates for Wes Anderson Realty aren't cheap: The Tenenbaums' house would apparently run buyers a hefty $3.6 million, and at 18 million kopeks, the Grand Budapest surely has a higher property value than, say, The Shining's Overlook Hotel. ("Time share with two adorable twins — bathtubs nearly corpse-free!") Plus, no matter which Anderson locale you fancy, you'll likely have to stock up on a color-palate-appropriate wardrobe before moving in — and MTV's listings decline to mention the extent to which buyers will have to perform their own tchotchke furnishing. Moviegoers on a budget might want to look toward Sam Mendes's suburban locales instead; sure, his protagonists tend to be miserably repressed, but at least they can afford their mortgages. Maybe Jack Lemmon's eponymous Apartment, if you don't mind living in a former corporate shag-pad?

For those inclined to splurge, though, be warned: according to the listings, it appears the Tenenbaums never did manage to rid their home of its minor Dalmatian mice infestation, and Rushmore is still waiting on its aquarium. Yes, as it turns out, even in movieland, navigating real estate is the worst. And even if we can't afford the whole Grand Budapest, we can at least settle for a ticket this Friday.