Wes Anderson’s latest film, Asteroid City (2023), is a sci-fi dramedy set in the summer of 1955, revolving around a family grieving and stuck in a remote American town during a star-gazing event. It’s also presented as a play by the fictional playwright Conrad Earp, played by Edward Norton, and the story unfolds through the televised adaptation of this play. This complex narrative structure involves a story within a story within a story, highlighting Anderson’s fascination with these layered storytelling techniques. In his previous work, The French Dispatch (2021), Anderson used an anthology approach where each story represents an article in a fictional Kansas newspaper. Similarly, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) often visually mirrored the faux documentaries made by Team Zissou, as if the content could have been produced by the film’s characters.
Even in The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Anderson crafted the film as an adaptation of a fictional book, with chapters plus a prologue and epilogue. These storytelling devices often create a sense of detachment, positioning viewers at a distance from the narrative, allowing appreciation but not complete immersion. Asteroid City, however, stands out as the most captivating Anderson film in a decade, with its stunning visuals and underlying raw emotion peeking through its meticulously crafted exterior. Anderson expertly balances deadpan expressions with moments of emotional release, as seen in The Darjeeling Limited (2007) when the Whitman brothers abandon their luggage to catch a moving train, or when Steve Zissou is overcome with emotion in The Life Aquatic upon encountering the shark that killed his friend. Asteroid City contains similar heartfelt moments towards the film’s climax, which enhance the film beyond its characteristic quirks and Anderson’s distinct style.
The film shifts from a small black-and-white aspect ratio to widescreen color as it moves between stories, embracing the pastel colors that are often associated with Anderson’s aesthetic. Robert Yeoman, Anderson’s regular cinematographer, captures the sparse desert setting with vibrancy, transforming the small town into a live-action version of a Looney Tunes cartoon. Anderson even nods to this influence by featuring a roadrunner in the movie. The film features an extensive cast, including new additions like Margot Robbie and Tom Hanks alongside Anderson favorites like Willem Dafoe, Tilda Swinton, and Jeff Goldblum.
It’s a delight to see Jason Schwartzman lead the cast, 25 years after his breakout role in Anderson’s Rushmore (1998). Schwartzman plays Augie Steenbeck, a war photographer and reluctant head of the central family. Scarlett Johansson stands out as Midge Campbell, a renowned actress stranded in the town due to an unexplained event that places it under a strict quarantine. Johansson navigates the balance between Anderson’s typical dialogue delivery and a character’s genuine curiosity about the world, portraying someone who can exist beyond her immediate constraints. Though the story occasionally verges on chaos as it ventures into the cosmic, it is supported by subtle comedic performances by Steve Carell and Liev Schreiber, along with 50s-inspired music by British musicians Jarvis Cocker, who also appears in the film, and Richard Hawley.