Asteroid City

Wes Anderson’s latest was so deliberately Wes Anderson-esque that it was bordering on self-indulgent and over stylised, with style and aesthetics taking priority over narrative and character development. This was no where near top tier Anderson, but at least it was a step up from “The French Dispatch”, though not much higher. One’s enjoyment of “Asteroid City” really depend on how much one enjoy Anderson’s schtick. However, undeniably, “Asteroid City” was one hell of a visual feast. It was sumptuously lensed by Robert Yeoman and impeccably designed by Adam Stockhausen, with another fun score by Alexandre Desplat. 

What worked well in this film, especially compared to “The French Dispatch”, was that it had a tighter narrative through line - its metatexual storytelling was fun but not too extreme - and a more cohesive cast that brilliantly bounced off each other even though, as usual, some actors got their “moments”. 

Jason Schwartzman was a brilliant standout. He really nailed the nuances and idiosyncrasies that characterised an Anderson leading man. His main scene partner was Scarlett Johansson and they had good chemistry together, and Johansson did fit in as an Anderson ensemble member. As did newcomer Tom Hanks who most likely replaced Bill Murray, who was not missed, so kudos to Hanks. Jeffrey Wright had one great scene, Maya Hawke and Rupert Friend had good chemistry, Hope Davis was sardonically blithe, Adrian Brody and Edward Norton seemed to be having fun, and Tilda Swinton was being Tilda. Others like Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie and Hong Chau were more extended cameos for a significant scene. 

But it was Jeff Goldblum and the kiddos that really stole the show. The former was just simply the highlight of the film, whereas the latter grounded it emotionally and prevented Anderson from getting overly meta and out of control. 

At a tight 105 minutes, “Asteroid City” was a fun, delightful watch, gloriously stylish with a simple, but effective, mix of drama and comedy, wit and pathos.