ASTEROID CITY – Review

Wes Anderson is among the most creative directors out there, a true auteur with a distinctive style. His films, including THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS and THE FANTASIC MR FOX, are often quirky, color-drenched, full of cultural references and even whimsical but also deeply human. While not everyone loves their unique style, he has many fans, including this writer. Anderson’s last film, THE FRENCH DISPATCH, was an anthology inspired by the New Yorker magazine, and while Anderson’s newest, ASTEROID CITY, is not an anthology, it’s a story-within-a-story format evokes some of that as does its deadpan off-kilter comedy – but here with an Atomic Age slant, of 1950s candy colors, science-focus, buttoned-down seriousness and even a touch of Area 51.

ASTEROID CITY is the name of a small Southwest desert town in the 1950s, where middle-aged war photographer Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman) has arrived with his three children so his oldest, Woodrow (Jake Ryan), can take part in a science fair-like competition for very brainy kids. The tiny town is named for the asteroid crater that is its one tourist draw, and has one gas station, one diner and one motel, the kind with little cabins. The cabins are filled with the gifted kids and their parents, including a famous actress, Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson). The kids are going to show off their science creations and receive awards at the meteor crater, in ceremony led by General Gibson (Jeffrey Wright) and organized by physicist Dr. Hickenlooper (Tilda Swinton). While waiting for the ceremony, Augie talks by phone with his well-off father-in-law Stanley Zak (Tom Hanks), who lives nearby and who urges Augie to share the tragic secret he has been concealing from his son and young twin daughters.

Except none of that is real, because Asteroid City isn’t a real place. It exists only in a play being broadcast on TV, as the announcer/host (Bryan Cranston) tells us. The whole thing – play and TV broadcast – evokes the 1950s, a time when serious theatrical productions by big-name playwrights, even original ones, appeared on the small screen. There is also just a touch of a “Twilight Zone” vibe to the TV sequences, with their narrator, presented in black-and-white and in a square frame like an old television show.

In contrast to those black-and-white sequences, the world of the play itself, “Asteroid City,” fills the screen with bright pastel colors, reflecting the era’s advertising artwork, with lots of pink, teal and tangerine orange. Everything looks like a stage set – or a movie one. The town has all the classic ’50s elements: a one-pump gas station, a diner with a long counter, a motel with little cabins, even a highway ramp that goes nowhere. From the wood-panel sided station wagons to the meteor crater tourist site, ASTEROID CITY has it all.

ASTEROID CITY is a complicated, three-ring circus of a comedy, a send-up of the ’50s stereotypes and culture, but it is also a film that is likely to divide audiences – a sort of love-it or hate-it film. It is busy and crazy but if you can just go with its flow, and especially if you are a fan of Wes Anderson generally, it is fun, and even impressive that Anderson can pull it all off (Anderson even throws in a little animation). Personally, as a big Wes Anderson fan, ASTEROID CITY delighted me although it may not top my list of favorites. Yet, some others might even rank it as among his best. However, for others, it may be the opposite. If you crave deeper character development or a reflection on human life, which some Anderson films offer, ASTEROID CITY might be irritating more than enthralling. A good rule of thumb might be how you felt about THE FRENCH DISPATCH. Love that one, and this one will likely follow its path to your heart.

As the film alternates between those two story-lines, one with the characters in the play and the other the people putting on that play and broadcast, both stories reflect the 1950s world where they both exist. In the desert world of the play, the adults struggle with their various issues as the kids await the science awards, until a surprise disrupts the carefully-planned program. In parallel, we follow playwright Conrad Earp (Edward Norton) as he crafts the play in which those character exist, and the artistically-driven director, Schubert Green (Adrien Brody), has he shapes it for the studio stage, as well as the tales of the quirky actors in it. Which means some of the film’s actors play dual roles, with Jason Schwartzman playing Jones Hall, the actor playing Augie Steenbeck and Scarlett Johansson playing Mercedes Ford, playing Midge Campbell. Matt Dillon, Stephen Park and Rupert Friend also play dual roles, actors and characters in the play.

Confused? Yes, director Wes Anderson has a lot of balls in the air as he juggles these two stories and this large cast, But this a comedy, which means a bit of chaos works in its favor. There are plenty of sterling comic bits, and visual joking, playing off the kitsch and culture of the 1950s era, with its science-seriousness, and futuristic optimism battling Atomic Age nerves, with a splash of space alien flavor.

ASTEROID CITY is packed with big-name stars, including several Wes Anderson regulars, which gives wide potential for its plentiful weird little comic bits involving supporting characters. And quirky, deadpan characters abound here, among them, Steve Carell as the manager/owner of the town’s sole motel, which has the most impressive oddball assortment of vending machines, including one that sells real estate.

Unsurprisingly, the A-list cast is excellent, and each gets his or her moment. Jason Schwartzman and Scarlett Johansson carry much of the dramatic element, as they share their various struggles, but Tom Hanks, Adrien Brody and others get their moments. A fair amount of comedy comes from Steve Carell as the very entrepreneurial motel owner, but there are plenty of others in the mix.

Actors playing actors playing actors is among the nested elements in this film. This structural conceit is a bit unwieldy at times but whether all the ’50s references about science, alien landings, Actors Studio and more delight or irritate will depend on the individual. One feels that if ASTEROID CITY were a straightforward telling of the story in the play, without the framing device, it would have been sufficient. But Wes Anderson wanted to do more, and so gives us this three-ring circus of a film, not content with just one act in the ring.

ASTEROID CITY has dazzle, it’s fun and sparkling, and has full-bore star power. But the dual-story track can distract, interrupting each story by turn, which might make it harder to engage with the characters. Depending on what someone wants or expects from the film, it will be an enthralling ride or a frustrating one.

ASTEROID CITY opens Friday, June 23, in theaters.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars