Dir: Wes Anderson
Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Ed Norton, Adrien Brody, Jake Ryan, Grace Edwards, Margot Robbie, and Steve Carrell
1h 44m
One-of-a-kind filmmakers like Wes Anderson are so unique in today's media-saturated world. The auteur's latest film, "Asteroid City," is a deeply satisfying mix of meticulously designed visuals, charming world aesthetics, and oddly fascinating characters, all the elements fans of Anderson have come to expect. The film is a maze of ideas that follows a stage play adapted for television that morphs into a film that switches between the behind-the-curtain workings of a stage production while a movie unfolds on stage. Confusing? Yes, it is. Charming and thought-provoking? Beyond all expectations.
War photographer Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman), his three adorable daughters, and intelligent son Woodrow (Jake Ryan) are heading to Asteroid City to celebrate Asteroid Day. This celebration commemorates the day a meteor crashed and left a crater near the city. Woodrow is one of a few brilliantly minded young people invited to the small town, which consists mainly of a diner, an inn, and a gas station, for a science fair-like competition. Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson), a Hollywood starlet, is also in town with her daughter Dinah (Grace Edwards), who cutely finds a connection with Woodrow during an extraterrestrial event that traps the visitors in the small town by outside government forces.
But that's only part of the picture. As the film opens in stark black-and-white photography on a 1950s-era television soundstage, a solemn narrator (Bryan Cranston) introduces the viewer to Conrad Earp (Ed Norton), a writer preparing a stage play for a television broadcast. In the hustle and chaos of theater preproduction, the committed cast of actors, who will eventually perform in the play, is introduced. Anderson, operating in two distinct moods initially, will eventually switch between the stage and film production of Asteroid City by the latter half of the film.
While this narrative setup may sound like a complicated machine of moving parts, a metaphor for the beautifully orchestrated chaos that stage performances encompass, Wes Anderson handles " Asteroid City with expert care. In many ways, this film demonstrates how effortlessly the director composes the difficult balancing act of engaging his often-copied but seldom-matched style. The quirky yet emotionally complicated storytelling. And the ultra-specific performance motions for the actors. These all identify the Wes Anderson brand of filmmaking.
"Asteroid City" is a town filled with very recognizable faces. Anderson has always stacked his films with notable names; this film is no different. Besides those mentioned in leading roles, Tom Hanks plays a supporting role as father-in-law to Augie, pistol firmly in the waistband. Tilda Swinton is a wild-eyed scientist involved with monitoring the cosmos. Jeffrey Wright is a stern military official in charge of keeping secrets. Steve Carrell is the bewildered manager of the motor inn. Margot Robbie arrives as an actress contemplating the art of performance. The entire cast is excellent in their performances.
While the composition within the frame and the dedication of the cast are both exceptional and are entirely reminiscent of Wes Anderson's distinctive style, the construction of the story, also written by the director, is the highlight of the entire film and a standout amongst the filmmaker's catalog of work. Anderson has always analyzed the human condition, especially the contemplations of desire, love, fear, and hope in an upside-down world. In a world where a lobby boy must adhere to a standard of prestige while falling in love, all against dramatically changing times in history in "The Grand Budapest Hotel." Or, amid a love triangle at a private school, a student must seek understanding between love, friendship, and a vendetta during changing teenage and adult times in "Rushmore." In "Asteroid City," the threats of the unknown, whether an extraterrestrial hovering over the earth, motivations of life after encountering death, or the journey of understanding that complicated word called "art," are analyzed in numerous ways with thoughtful curiosity and fascinating questions. Even during its messiest, chaotic search for the meaning of these themes, "Asteroid City" exudes immense heart and charm through a creative lens and within a structured style that displays Wes Anderson's artistic heart and contemplative mind working in fantastic balance.
Monte's Rating
4.25 out of 5.00
