Scarlett Johansson plays a famous actress visiting the Junior Stargazer convention in the 1955-set “Asteroid City,” co-written and directed by Wes Anderson. (Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features/TNS)
Visionary filmmaker Wes Anderson returned to theaters June 22 with the release of his latest feature, “Asteroid City.” The movie is Anderson’s 11th in his filmography, leaving few movie lovers unfamiliar with the director’s eccentric style by now.
In fact, Anderson’s visual style is so specific that his filmography is arguably a genre unto itself. Pastel colors, symmetrical blocking and set design, ensemble casts, deadpan humor and fourth-wall obliteration are just a few of Anderson’s aesthetic go-tos. The experience of an Anderson film typically resembles a planned tour of an oversized dollhouse.
Anderson’s seeming obsession with this specific form of spectacle has led some critics to deride his work as “style over substance,” suggesting that though his films are rich with stylized production, they lack narrative meaning.
“Asteroid City” is framed as a narrative within a narrative; the film opens with a smiling host (Bryan Cranston) introducing a new black-and-white TV program. The program offers a behind-the-scenes view into a modern theater production.
The stage production in question is written by famed playwright Conrad Earp (Edward Norton), initially titled “Cosmic Wilderness” and later renamed to the set location of the play, “Asteroid City.” The play’s original title speaks to many of its core themes: confusion, fear, and most of all curiosity. A will to discover.
The film shifts into the world of the play with an explosion of vibrant orange and a widening of the frame. The story starts with father and war photographer Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman) going to see his father-in-law (Tom Hanks). On the way, Augie’s car breaks down in Asteroid City, which just so happens to be the host town for a junior astronomy convention for Augie’s genius, “brainiac” son Woodrow (Jake Ryan).
At the convention, the film introduces a cohort of lovable oddballs who have attended the junior stargazing competition. Along with Woodrow’s fellow kid geniuses, there’s the self-serious method actress Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson), an overly sincere property manager (Steve Carell), an incompetent mechanic (Matt Dillon), a socially awkward scientist (Tilda Swinton) and an overwhelmed Christian school teacher (Maya Hawke), to name a few.
As the convention gets underway, events take an unpredicted turn when — in hopes of viewing a nighttime stellar event — a flying saucer appears above the heads of the gaping stargazers. As the UFO hovers above, an alien — alongside what some viewers aptly characterize as a “freaky little guy” — drops down to Earth. The look and mannerisms of the alien are indescribable, making the entire film worth seeing for this scene alone.
Following the alien’s visit, the town is enveloped in chaos as every character attempts to rationalize the unknown’s terrifying absurdity in their own way. Woodrow, by far the most restlessly curious character, is the only one who sees the alien’s visit as something both profound and important, a beckoning toward new understanding. In Woodrow’s words, “It’s about the meaning of life. What if there is one?”
Woodrow’s craved search for meaning is what the play, production and film are ultimately about. The film repeatedly asks itself, “What does it mean?” Jones Hall, who portrays Augie, breaks character at the height of the drama to say, “I still don’t know what the play means.”
So for the critics who watch Anderson’s films and ask, “What’s the point?”, this film presents a rebuttal. In “Asteroid City,” asking about the point is the point. The curiosity behind the question — not the answer — is what’s important. A worthy thematic compliment to Anderson’s exuberant vision.
Ultimately, “Asteroid City” employs Anderson’s usual and quirky tricks. But for all of his stylistic indulgence, the director still seems to be challenging himself to explore uncharted territory and — in his ongoing search — find meaning, that’s worth the price of admission.
Rating: 4/5
