★★★½
At this point, Wes Anderson is comfortably cemented as one of the most unique directors in modern cinema. His eclectic style and meticulous design are usually worth the price of admission, and Asteroid City is no exception. From the opening credits, Asteroid City is a visual achievement, from the colors to the set design to the costumes; everything on screen is a feast for the eyes. This style is backed by a hilarious story featuring multiple characters, a story that acts as a vehicle for Anderson’s exploration of love, connection, and the unknown.
Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman) is overwhelmed. As a recently widowed father of four, Augie is driving across the country to his father-in-law, Stanley’s (Tom Hanks), house to stay a while. Stanley is a well-off golf aficionado who has made it very clear that he never loved Augie. On the way, the Steenbeck family vehicle breaks down when they arrive in Asteroid City, the site of the junior stargazing event that Augie’s son, Woodrow (Jake Ryan) has been invited to participate in. While stuck in the small desert town, the family meets other junior stargazing families, including a popular actress, Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson), and her stargazing daughter Dinah (Grace Edwards).
Asteroid City is one of those movies that will uncover more about itself after every viewing. Its cryptic facade starts to crack as the film progresses but is then completely blown away in the chaotic third act. At its highest level, Anderson seems to be trying to explore the human connection and how we react to the unknown. This is enough to move the plot along at a well-paced 104 minutes.
Unfortunately, Anderson’s fast-paced, quirky dialog doesn’t always hit the mark, and some of the peripheral characters seem to be placed to fill out a cast rather than offer anything tangible to the over-arching story. This is a minor complaint, especially because many of these scenes are entertaining in their own right, but it is an initial struggle to fit all of the puzzle pieces together.
Asteroid City works well as a comedic look into the lives of wildly different people who are thrown together in a unique situation. Some of the characters are searching for meaning, some are just trying to get by, and others seem to have it all figured out. By pairing this star-studded cast with Anderson’s well-known style, fans of his work will be very impressed. If you’re going to see Asteroid City, you likely know what you’re getting into, just don’t expect to see anything groundbreaking.
