"A lovely, slightly wistful, tragicomedy."
— Wendy Ide, Times (UK)
"An often clever film with some genuine laughs and a playful streak."
— Eleanor Ringel Cater, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"An exquisitely evocative movie that elevates rueful melancholia to a superpower."
— Carina Chocano, Los Angeles Times
"Only The Beatles' Yellow Submarine equals The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou for brilliant, psychedelic surrealism."
— Stella Papamichael, BBC.com
"Anderson holds steady to the delicate emotions that run beneath this stormy comedy of betrayal, death and forgiveness."
— Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"The Life Aquatic is a movie deeply immersed in movie lore, and the more seasoned the swimmer the richer the experience."
— Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
"The actor's (Murray) quiet, downcast presence modulates the antic busyness that encircles him, and his performance is a triumph of comic minimalism."
— Dana Stevens, The New York Times
"The director magically conjures emotional dividends in the film's invigorating last moments, which wordlessly celebrate an underrated and truly Andersonian virtue: solidarity."
— Jessica Winter, Time Out
"Anderson may be incapable of making a dull film -- he's certainly incapable of making a dull-looking film -- and from its fake-docu introduction to its full-circle conclusion, his movie looks interesting and unique."
— Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger