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Wes Anderson movies aren’t for everyone — although there’s a recognizable, often mocked style he utilizes, it’s not possible to emulate perfectly. You can always tell a knock-off, whether it’s a loving tribute or a dismissive arch retort. Hidden in the stylish, visual, unique camera work are themes of loss, family, and loneliness — the ‘matter of fact’ way his characters speak elides the more complicated emotional depths between. But getting past that is tricky for some people, and his new film doesn’t even pretend not to be another example of his style.
Asteroid City is directed by Wes Anderson and co-written with frequent collaborator Roman Coppola, and is itself a tale of a tale. As with many of his works, there are many complicated layers to this one, but the baseline story, told in black-and-white, is a stage production written by famed playwright Conrad Earp (Edward Norton, one of many frequent Anderson collaborators) about the fictional ‘Asteroid City’ and the adventures of the characters within.
But most of the movie shows the play as though it’s the movie itself, in full color and on location in the middle of the desert — although the movie does bleed into reality here and there. Asteroid City is a place known only for a mysterious, small asteroid landing there eons ago — the town is quite small, with a minor military presence nearby.
When the action starts, it’s right before a special ‘Junior Stargazer’ convention where a bunch of unrealistically talented youngsters present their inventions to the military and parents. Although (as is typical for Wes Anderson movies) we dip in and out of different characters and their interlocking storylines, we mainly follow two sets of parents and children.
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One is Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman, who also plays the actor playing Augie) and his talented nerdy son Woodrow (Jake Ryan from Eighth Grade, who feels tailor made for a Wes Anderson movie) along with his younger sisters, going on this trip right after the untimely death of their mother (a delightful surprise cameo). The other is Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson, also playing the actress playing Midge — and a newcomer to Anderson movies), Hollywood actress with her talented daughter Dinah (Grade Edwards).
The actual plot goes back and forth between the fictional Asteroid City and the play behind the play, but we spend most of our time in the inner world, which has a vibrancy despite its intentional artificiality. Much of the fun of the story gets kicked off as the kids and adults intermingle in complicated ways, and how the mysteries of the asteroid get (or don’t get) resolved.
The acting bench in this movie runs deep, and it’s always fun to see the mix of new and old Anderson actors show up (too many to really list, but in particular Tilda Swinton, Jeffrey Wright, and Bryan Cranston all have standout performances of different sorts). The true themes of Anderson’s own feelings on making his art gradually get revealed over time, juxtaposed with the honest and emotionally raw connections built between Augie and Midge (Johnasson is absolutely great here too as a complicated and depressed 50s-era actress).
The quirky comedy and particular style of Wes Anderson is omnipresent here, but sometimes things get broken intentionally and we see new ideas percolate through. It’s one of those movies that gets better the more you think about it, and if you’re at all a fan of Anderson’s live action works, this is one of his best.
Asteroid City has a run time of 1 hour 45 minutes, and is rated PG-13 on appeal for brief graphic nudity, smoking and some suggestive material.
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