Plot summary

Poison, the final short film from Wes Anderson (adapted from Roald Dahl's short story of the same name), is kind of a mixed bag. First things first, I don't think I have much to say about Poison, as I have discussed Anderson's style in my reviews of The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and The Ratcatcher. Like those short films, this one, too, consists of multiple narrators and the director moves between them with self-assurance. This confidence is one of the most seductive things about Anderson's films. In the hands of a lesser filmmaker, all four shorts could have easily collapsed under the weight of their narrative ambition. But in Anderson's hands, even the least successful stories (Henry Sugar and The Swan) don't completely sag, though they look unnecessary and overwhelming.—yusufpiskin