NZIFF Film Review: "Asteroid City" (2023).

From the director of The Grand Budapest Hotel and The French Dispatch comes Asteroid City. This comedy-drama film written and directed by Wes Anderson. The film takes place in a fictional American desert town circa 1955. Synopsis: The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.

In September 2020, it was reported Anderson would write and direct a romance film. By February 2021, Michael Cera and Jeff Goldblum were attached to star; the film was then described as being about a "group of brainy teenagers". In June, Tilda Swinton was the first person to officially join the cast. By August, Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan, Sophia Lillis rounded out the film's ensemble cast. Bill Murray was originally cast in Carell's role, but contracted COVID-19 shortly before filming. He had to withdraw from the production. At the same time, principal photography commenced and wrapped in October. Filming took place in Chinchón, Madrid, Spain with COVID-19 safety precautions in place. Filming originally planned for Rome, Italy.

The film stars an ensemble cast that includes Schwartzman, Johansson, Hanks, Wright, Swinton, Cranston, Norton, Brody, Schreiber, Davis, Park, Friend, Hawke, Carell, Dillon, Chau, Dafoe, Robbie, Revolori, Ryan, Lillis, and Goldblum. What I was left wanting was more heart and connectivity to the film as a whole. But I simply loved being in the company of all these characters for a few hours. Thanks to the impressive ensemble and their performances.

Interesting in every sense of the way. I typically don’t like stories-within-a-story framework all too much but this one surprised me. Anderson developed three interesting & well polished stories that brought about a unique feeling that always comes from his movies. At times overwhelming in scope, but never unwelcome, the film is what the audience expects from Anderson, but it doesn’t go far beyond that. It's a perfectly curated dollhouse in a candy-coated wonderland. There are worse ways to spend your time. After watching his eleventh feature film, I am 100% confident Anderson was raised in a household with parents that performed a traveling festival of living pictures on weekends. The film is the film equivalent of a Wes Anderson amusement park, captivating audiences with color, chaos, and countless curious characters. If you’re one of those viewers who can only handle Anderson in small doses, then his new film probably isn’t for you. An artistic & set design showcase that serves as a good diversion to amuse oneself when the story isnt particularly engaging. Overall it's an amusing movie with fun, quirky bits, but with little emotional resonance in the disjointed stories. The film is arguably Wes Anderson’s most ambitious film, definitely his most frenetic, and possibly the most alienating to all but the most devoted Wes Anderson fans.

Simon says Asteroid City receives:

Also, see my reviews for The French Dispatch and Merkel.