Movie Breakdown: Asteroid City

Pre-Screening Stance:

I wasn’t a huge fan of Wes Anderson’s last effort, The French Dispatch, but hey, it’s Wes Anderson, so of course I’m happy to dive right into Asteroid City. Just judging by the trailers, it’s at least going to look wonderful.

Post-Screening Ramble:

From the moment I saw it, I’ve felt as though The French Dispatch was as Wes Anderson as Wes Anderson could possibly get. Welp, I was wrong – Asteroid City is actually as Wes Anderson as Wes Anderson can possibly get.

This is either going to delight or annoy you.

The movie is set inside of a TV broadcast that follows the production of a TV show and the writer who is penning its story, which is about a bunch of people who get quarantined in a small town (called Asteroid City, of course) after seeing an alien. And that, my friends, is about as much of a through-line as you’ll find in Asteroid City. Honestly, I’m not even sure what Anderson was trying to fully convey in this film. Overall, it somewhat plays like a direct follow-up to The French Dispatch – i.e. another deep look at the perils of being an artist. It also lightly feels tinged by the COVID lockdown and how much it made people re-evaluate various parts of their lives. Or hell, I don’t know, maybe Anderson just wanted to make something that looks stunning (it does). Either way, Asteroid City is not driven by any particular narrative, which makes it somewhat of a slog to get through. This isn’t to say it’s bad – there’s still funny, whimsical moments, the cast is good, and – again – it’s super easy on the eyes, but in the end it’s an all out, totally open to interpretation, art house affair. So, your mileage may vary when it comes to Asteroid City. The film hits theaters this Friday, June 23.

One Last Thought:

Jason Schwartzman is having a pretty good summer with this and Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse.