Film: Asteroid City

 

GENRE: Comedy Drama
RATING: PG-13 for brief nudity and suggestive material
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 44 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore; Darjeeling Limited);
Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow); Jake Ryan (Moonrise Kingdom, Chad)
DIRECTOR: Wes Anderson (French Dispatch, Grand Budapest Hotel)
WRITER: Anderson (Isle of Dogs; Royal Tenenbaums, Life Aquatic)
PLOT: A science event in a small remote town leads to romance, friendship and quarantine.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Love Wes Anderson films. All of them.

STORY STUFF: Anderson loves plays, many of his films feature them in some way. This one goes so far as to break up the film into acts and scenes while also sharing the history of the production from writing to performance. It could not be more Wes Anderson in style. The plot in the center of Asteroid City is interesting enough but doesn’t have the same stakes as Royal Tenenbaums; I didn’t feel emotionally connected to the story. However, there are loads of fun scenes, quirky characters and dead pan dialogue that will easily bring a smile to your face.   

ACTING STUFF: The poster lists a cavalcade of stars ranging from Anderson’s theatre troupe of quirkiness to newcomers like Tom Hanks and Steve Carrell. All give great performances. The standouts from the troupe include Schwartzman as the widower and Jeffrey Wright as the general. Ryan (also from the troupe but now older) is perfect as oldest son, Woodrow. But the big scene stealers are the Faris triplets who are simply adorable with their over-lapping dialogue and playful innocence. Anderson always knows how to cast his film well – especially with precocious children. I missed seeing Bill Murray though. First, no John Ratzenberger in a Pixar film and now this. What is happening to tradition!  

ARTISTIC STUFF: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Wes Anderson is his own genre; he has such a particular style of filming. The coloring in this film is vibrant (when not start black & white), the music is catchy, the tableaux are incredible, the framing is interesting, the set is chock full of detail. This film is a kaleidoscope of fun for the eyes.   

VERDICT: Four and a half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You like Wes Anderson films or small desert towns
UPCOMING REVIEW:  The Flash; Indiana Jones 5