Originally published September 25, 2023. Updated April 22, 2024.
Asteroid City, 2023.
Directed by Wes Anderson.
Starring Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, 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, and Jeff Goldblum.
SYNOPSIS:
Wes Anderson’s latest, Asteroid City, features a play-within-a-TV-show-within-a-movie (think of it as his own version of Inception), so if you’re already a fan, you’ll want to come along for the ride. If you’re not, you might want to start with something like Rushmore or The Royal Tenenbaums before tackling this one. A code for a digital copy is included, but, unfortunately, the bonus features are limited to one blink-and-you’ll-miss-it making-of.
At this point, you’re either onboard with Wes Anderson’s style or you’re not. I can’t imagine him changing it, since he has carved out such a nice niche for himself, and that’s certainly the case with his latest movie, Asteroid City: Long-time fans such as myself will likely be happy with the ride and those who never cared for his style will continue to shrug their shoulders and move on.
The bulk of Asteroid City is set in an eponymous town somewhere in the Western desert in the mid-1950s. A youth astronomy convention is being held there, and cars full of self-described “brainiac” kids arrive with their parents to stay at the only motel, which features individual small buildings for rooms (except for the unlucky dad and son who end up in a tent because their room burned down).
However, what we’re seeing is actually a play written by famed writer Conrad Earp (Edward Norton), and the movie actually begins as an episode of a black-and-white TV show with an unnamed host played by Bryan Cranston. The story bounces between the events of the play itself, which happen in a pastel-shaded place that’s as unreal as pretty much every other Wes Anderson world, and the narration of the black-and-white TV show.
Thus, much of the cast also play two roles. For example, Scarlett Johansson is Mercedes Ford, an actress playing the role of actress Midge Campbell in the play, while Jason Schwartzman does the same as actor Jones Hall in the role of war photojournalist Augie Steenbeck.
It’s a fun metatextual trick that adds another layer of unreal reality, building off a similar story construction found in The Grand Budapest Hotel and The French Dispatch. Sometimes it gets a little confusing, though, and Anderson doesn’t always stick the landing when transitioning between the two realities. There were times when I felt like I was watching two different movies mashed together.
That said, I appreciate filmmakers who try to push the envelope, and in the end, Asteroid City is another fun ride through Anderson’s creativity. In his typical style, he has appropriated a variety of tropes for the movie — in this case, he’s playing off 50s sci-fi films, coming-of-age stories, and the lives of playwrights like Tennessee Williams.
If that sounds like a fun way to spend 105 minutes (I certainly enjoyed it), then I’ll refrain from reciting too much of the plot and just let it unfold before you. Enjoy!
This Blu-ray edition of Asteroid City features a DVD as well as a code for a digital copy. Unfortunately, the only bonus feature is a making-of that runs just over seven minutes and is split into multiple chapters, for whatever reason. Each chapter has an intro and a closing credit, which is amusing to include in an extra that’s not even as robust as the old school EPKs (electronic press kits) from the DVD days.
And, yes, this is pretty typical of Anderson’s movies on home video. Criterion long ago committed to putting out all his movies on disc, and while they haven’t quite lived up to that promise (they’re currently missing Isle of Dogs and The French Dispatch), I imagine Asteroid City will eventually make its way to that boutique label and feature a healthy complement of extra content when that time comes.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Brad Cook
