Asteroid City – Population: Me

I am a fan of Wes Anderson. Fantastic Mr. Fox is my favorite movie of all time. Asteroid City is a movie that could only be made by Wes Anderson. That is not by any means, a complaint.

Our theater experience was on the better side this time. My wife and I showed up for the 2:30 showing and had plenty of popcorn to get us through the trailers. The theater was mostly empty, but there were a few Wes-heads to be found. Every fifteen minutes or so from the adjacent screen we could hear the sound of what I presume to be Autobots kicking serious ass in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, but other than those expected distractions, the experience was great.

Shouldn’t it be Meteorite City?

Asteroid City tells a lot of stories at once. And at the same time, none of the stories really mattered – in a good way. The plot is almost superfluous, a whimsical trip asking its audience to interpret their own meanings from the film. I don’t know if any two people will have the exact same takeaway. You’ll have to see it for yourself to find yours.

When the film starts, it is quick to tell you that the upcoming scenes in the town of Asteroid City are actually a play. We frequently cut between the world of the play and the black and white, 4:3 aspect ratio of the real world. How drab and dreadful. The only thing that can save us and add color to this world… is art.

This movie is NOT for everyone. The characters seemed so disconnected from our reality; yet at their hearts showed so much emotion. The humor clicked for me, but I can totally understand if it didn’t for anyone else. This was one of the more “meta” movies I’ve seen (and I’m not talking about Facebook, although one character did remind me of Mark Zuckerberg. IYKYK).

A big positive about the film is its cast. If I were to type out the famous actors in this merry ensemble, the list would be so long that you’d only skim it. However, for my money the standouts were Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, and Adrien Brody – who all brought an unexpected heart to their roles.

One Wes Anderson story trope that once again shines through here is having the children characters involved in their own version of a love story. Woodrow, played by Jake Ryan (and would have been played by Michael Cera if this movie was made ten, or even five, years ago), the brainiac gets a love storyline of his own as he develops a crush on Dinah.

Another highlight for me was the strange inventions that were present throughout. A jetpack, a projection that reaches the moon, and a botanical accelerator mark just some of the weird sci-fi creations present in the film. But what tickled me the most was the vending machine that sold deeds to land out in the desert. While impractical, it is truly a representation of the fleeting American dream – putting your hard earned money into a machine that eats your quarters for a piece of paper representing your vague ownership of land. Oh yeah, the government also regularly tests nuclear bombs in this very desert. This is ‘Merica.

The American Dream, Colorized

The visitors of Asteroid City are truly free to pursue their passions – whether photographer, actor, or weird science kid, all are free to pursue their art here. I think that’s wonderful.

I love it when art doesn’t tell you what to feel, but simply asks you to feel. I think Asteroid City nails this. And the more I think about this movie, the more I like it. Yes, it’s weird and absurd. And yes, it takes big swings, but you can’t hit a home run without a big swing. I’ll give the film a tentative 8 meteorites out of 10, but again, I think I was very much within the target audience of this film. If you’re not, you might walk out after twenty minutes.

Next week: I’ll be venturing out to the theaters to join my favorite adventurer on one last ride: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Review coming 7/10/23.

Another programming note: Starting Wednesday 7/5/23 – the first ever Wonderful Wife Wednesday. In which I introduce my wife Tori to movies that I can’t believe she’s never seen. First up, a masterpiece of cinema, 2019’s Parasite.

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1 Response

  1. Spunkman says:

    Make tori watch blue velvet