IMDb plot summary: Following a writer on his world famous fictional play about a grieving father who travels with his tech-obsessed family to small rural Asteroid City to compete in a junior stargazing event, only to have his world view disrupted forever.
Directed by Wes Anderson. Starring Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Hanks.
Asteroid City is Wes Anderson's newest full-length film, a story following a group of people staying in a small desert town named Asteroid City when they are visited by an actual alien. Or, well, to be more accurate the movie's about a play that follows a group of people, etc. etc. I frequently like Anderson's films without loving any of them. There's no doubt he knows how to frame a scene and draw out dry comedic timing from his actors. But this one left me pretty cold, despite, oddly enough, being the premise I find most interesting across all of the director's work -- sci fi AND theater? Come on!. Somehow, though, despite the enormity of the question "is there intelligent life elsewhere" and the absurdity inherent in a random visit from them, I laughed at very litlte and felt even less. These characters feel overly broad, even for Anderson, leaving me almost nothing to hold onto emotionally, and the cold line deliveries feel dull and stilted rather than meticulously crafted. The too-bright vivid backdrops just escalate how much tonal color I'm missing in the rest of the film. A disappointment for me, though I'm not sure whether it's Anderson who dropped the ball or whether I just finally tired of him.
How it entered my Flickchart:
Asteroid City < Selma
Asteroid City > Frozen River
Asteroid City > Stepmom
Asteroid City < Pulp Fiction
Asteroid City > Melvin and Howard
Asteroid City < Cape Fear (1991)
Asteroid City > The Northman
Asteroid City > Broken Arrow
Asteroid City > Like Crazy
Asteroid City > Paris, je t'aime
Asteroid City < Star Wars Uncut: Director's Cut
Final spot: #2246 out of 3880, or 42%.
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