Movie Review: Asteroid City

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

An excellent Wes Anderson film. 

As most movie fans know Wes Anderson films are almost a genre unto themselves. He is one of today's most recognizable auteurs. Even if one pays no attention to the credits, it is always easy to tell when you are watching a Wes Anderson movie. The director's films are full of eccentric characters, playful filmmaking, a very offbeat sense of humor and larger than life locations. And with his dedicated fan base, Anderson is completely free to give into his eccentricates without having to worry about what a mainstream audience might think. This has never been truer than with Asteroid City, which is pure Wes Anderson through and through. While this may alienate (pun intended) many movie goers who may not gravitate towards Anderson's type of filmmaking (which to be fair can be an acquired taste), it will delight those who enjoy Anderson's work. Luckily, I am one of those who enjoys Anderson's films. One thing this film immediately does from the start is to fully embrace the artifice. While many filmmakers try to make one forget they are watching a movie, Anderson here wants to make sure you never forget. This is true from the very first scene in the film, which sets up that instead of watching something that is really happening, you are instead watching a televised play and multiple times in the movie, the story will stop to show you behind the scenes moments that lead to the play. This artifice is even shown in the "regular" scenes that take place within the play. Though the film takes place in the 1950's the look of much of it is not trying to realistically create the 1950's. Instead it is a visual exaggeration of all things 50's and even takes notes from corny B-movies of that era. There is even a playfulness to the use of the camera here. Even a simple scene such as two people talking on the phone, is filled with camera movements and angles that constantly remind you that you are in fact watching a movie. While this style of filmmaking wouldn't work for many movies, it works perfectly here. In fact it even turns what might otherwise be faults (the thinness of much of the story and many questions that go unanswered) into part of the fun. This style of filmmaking makes it so that at the same time know not to take things too seriously, while not taking it as a complete farce either. This film is like many Wes Anderson movies, an ensemble piece. Rather than focusing on one character, it focuses on a large group of characters. These characters are played by an all-star cast (Tom Hanks, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Scarlett Johansson, Willem Dafoe and Margot Robbie, to name a few). Yet nearly all of these characters get an opportunity to shine, even the ones who don't get much screen time and each actor seems to be cast because of how well they can play the role instead of how much of a big-name star they are. The characters themselves are likable and fun to watch, even if they are lacking in any real depth. 

Of course for a movie like this the comedy is the most important element. While there are times when the humor can fall flat, much of it works very well. I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit watching this film and I am sure many of you will as well. 

I will admit that it is hard to make a movie with such a strange sense of humor and style of storytelling work for a feature length runtime. While this works for the most part here, there are also times when the film can drag a little and could use a little cutting. However these scenes are few. 

If you are a Wes Anderson fan, you should have a great time watching this movie.