‘Asteroid City’ Movie Review: Stylishly Intriguing, Directionless Storytelling
Photo from Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features
From Joe Peltzer
Flush with that Wes Anderson style (for better or for worse), Asteroid City is a star-studded display of humor in disconnected pockets that ultimately amount to an entertaining, yet directionless outing.
In the film, Augie (Jason Schwartzman) and his kids are in the town of Asteroid City for a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention that introduces them to a wide array of interesting individuals soon bound together by experiencing alien contact. What it basically comes down to is this: if you love Anderson and his work, you’re going to find Asteroid City as a worthy entry in his filmography. But if you don’t, you’ll likely struggle to make sense of what is happening, even though the mess is quite a good time. There isn’t a poor performance in the bunch, but Schwartzman and Scarlett Johansson (Midge Campbell) are particularly strong and the most engaging of the packed cast, their interactions honest with hints of a budding further connection that never comes to fruition through essentially vignettes pieced together. Schwartman is the only character with an ounce of contribution to a theme for the film as he and his children process the loss of their mother, but that hits a dead end. Steve Carell (The Motel Manager) is a bright spot bringing subtle laughs while Maya Hawke (June Douglas) is arguably the most kind-hearted and empathetic. The rest of the cast, unfortunately, was lost for me.
It’s clear from the outset that this inception-like production (a televised play within a film) is unique in presentation (the alien comes to us via stop-motion animation), even by Anderson’s standards. Though visually captivating and littered with compelling ideas, the lack of seriousness and failure to build a cohesive narrative with a point results in what i'll describe as a sketch show art project. There is a point in Asteroid City where a character is questioning what it all means, a frequent question of mine throughout the 1:45 runtime, yet instead of the anticipated revelation of an explanation, we get the Tenet treatment, instructing us via the character that it’s okay to not understand. I question if there really is a point to the story at all. What could have been a unique exploration of grief is left without much resolution.
As I am not a Wes-head, it all feels like a waste of time. Yes, the visual artistry of it all is important, but without a sensible plot, what are we doing here?
Asteroid City hits theaters on June 23rd, 2023.
Rating: 2/5
