Asteroid City (2023)    Focus/Comedy-Drama    RT: 105 minutes    Rated PG-13 (brief graphic nudity, some suggestive material)    Director: Wes Anderson    Screenplay: Wes Anderson    Music: Alexandre Desplat    Cinematography: Robert Yeoman    Release date: June 16, 2023 (US, limited)/June 23, 2023 (US, wide)    Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carrell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan, Jeff Goldblum, Kim Keukeleire, Sophia Lillis, Fisher Stevens, Ethan Josh Lee, Grace Edwards, Aristou Meehan, Rita Wilson, Jarvis Cocker, Bob Balaban, Seu Jorge.

Rating: *** ½

I recommend Asteroid City to fans of Wes Anderson. You know who you are. He’s an acquired taste and if you haven’t yet acquired it, it’s probably best to sit this one out. His fans, on the other hand, are going to love his latest work, a comedy about the strange goings-on in a small desert town during a youth astronomy convention. That, of course is an oversimplification. Those familiar with the idiosyncratic filmmaker know nothing he does is ever simple. That’s what’s so cool about him.

It’s a well-known fact that Wes’ films are highly stylized. They have an aesthetic all their own. Every scene is meticulously composed and symmetrical. Every shot looks like one of those dioramas we used to make for school. I love that! Wes also has a flair for presentation. Asteroid City is presented as a televised play complete with a nattily suited narrator (Cranston, Breaking Bad) who talks us through the multi-character/multi-narrative piece by playwright Conrad Earp (Norton, Moonrise Kingdom). These scenes are in black and white and shown in a boxy aspect ratio of 1.37:1 (aka academy ratio). When the scene shifts to the action of the play of the movie’s title, the visual style changes as well- i.e. color and widescreen. This is the work of Wes’ longtime cinematographer Robert Yeoman who shot it all on 35mm Kodak film and an old Arriflex camera. It’s gorgeous and brilliant!

Many people converge on the town of Asteroid City, so named for the asteroid that landed there 5000 years ago, in early fall 1955. The main character is Augie Steenbeck (Schwartzman, Rushmore), a war photographer and recent widower who can’t bring himself to tell his four children their mother is gone. His oldest Woodrow (Ryan, Moonrise Kingdom) is one of the honorees at the convention. When their car dies, Augie calls his cantankerous father-in-law Stanley (Hanks, A Man Called Otto) to come pick up his three weird young daughters. Others start to arrive including world weary actress Midge Campbell (Johansson, Jojo Rabbit) and her genius daughter Dinah (Edwards, Call Jane), also an honoree. Three other genius teens arrive with their parents along with a busload of elementary school children with their teacher (Hawke, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), a group of singing cowboys led by manly Montana (Friend, Homeland) and convention host General Griff Gibson (Wright, The French Dispatch).

Things take a weird turn when a UFO lands during the awards ceremony. An alien emerges, takes the meteorite and leaves. The General, acting under orders by the President, immediately places Asteroid City under quarantine. The military is there with rifles in hand to make sure nobody gets in or out. Phone service is cut off. The government can’t have news of a UFO landing getting out, can they? During the lockdown, Augie and Midge become close-ish as do Woodrow and Dinah. A lot of other drama ensues, but to list it all would take time and space. Let’s just leave it at this. I’ve told you all you need to know anyway.

I don’t have any real complaints about Asteroid City. I think it’s good, very good in fact. It just doesn’t quite measure up to great Wes titles like Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums (my personal #1 fave), Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel. Still, I enjoyed every minute of it. It’s filled with the director’s trademark deadpan humor which I LOVE! Now that’s the kind of humor that makes me LOL. I laughed more at Asteroid City than I did at the last several comedies I saw at the multiplex. The entire cast does a great job keeping straight faces amidst all the bizarre goings-on. In addition to those already mentioned, the cast also includes Steve Carrell (Little Miss Sunshine) as the manager of the town’s only motel, Tilda Swinton (The French Dispatch) as a scientist, Adrien Brody (The French Dispatch) as the play’s director and Willem Dafoe (The French Dispatch) as an acting teacher and colleague of Norton’s character. It’s a large cast, but Wes has enough of a handle on crowd control that they’re not tripping over each. Like his shots, he has complete control.

I’d like to give special mention to Schwartzman who has matured considerably since playing the lead in Rushmore. It took a lot of effort on my part to forgive him for starring in the rancid teen “comedy” Slackers, a disgusting bucket of swill that’s thankfully gone largely forgotten in the 20+ years since its release. He plays a dual role in Asteroid City. In addition to Augie, he also plays the actor playing Augie in the TV play. It’s a delicate balance that he manages perfectly. He brings the right amount of gravitas as he struggles to cope with his loss. It’s an incredible performance.

Getting back to the visual aspect of Asteroid City for a bit, I get a real kick out of taking in the details of each scene. The town diner has their offerings and prices advertised on the front. There’s an unfinished on-ramp that just stands out. Looking at the movie is just fascinating. I also like all the strange touches like the out-of-nowhere musical number during an attempted lesson by the teacher. There’s so much joy to be had watching a Wes Anderson film. That’s my opinion anyway. The more casual movie viewer might beg to differ. HOWEVER, if you’re a fan, you’ll dig it.

WARNING: If you want to see Asteroid City, DO NOT HESITATE. It might not be around for long. I have a feeling the bigger upcoming releases will push it out of theaters in a week’s time, maybe two. So hurry. This is one movie that deserves to be seen on the big screen.