Opening in a television studio we are invited to watch the story of the creation of acclaimed play Asteroid City by our host (Bryan Cranston). Here he introduces us to playwright Conrad Earp (Edward Norton) and as the story of the creation and production of the first performance of the play unfolds we find ourselves suddenly immersed into the story itself. 

It is 1955 and Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman) has travelled to the desert location of Asteroid City which has a population of 97 so that his son Woodrow (Jake Ryan) can take part in the Junior Stargazer competition held there. Augie is a war photographer and his wife died three weeks ago, although he has been unable to tell Woodrow and his three daughters of that fact. 

As his car has broken down he calls his father in law Stanley (Tom Hanks) asking if he can come and get them. They discuss the fact that Augie has still not told his children and Stanley explains there will never be a good time to do so and he just needs to do it. 

Later Augie will meet film star Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson) who is also there with her daughter for the competition and they will form a bond and friendship before the entire town finds itself locked down due to events at the stargazing event. 

Now may be as good a time as any then to tell you that this review is one filled with my own personal bias. For anyone who reads my site regularly or who listens to me discuss films on the “At The Flicks” podcast you will know I am a Wes Anderson fanboy. I have discussed and reviewed all of his films in this retrospective article; Wes Anderson Retrospective and I named Moonrise Kingdom my film of 2012 and The French Dispatch my film of 2021. I can guarantee that if Anderson’s particular style does not have you purring then Asteroid City is something you should avoid at all costs. But I do hope that you will try it with an open mind or perhaps find one of his more accessible films as a way in because what is here is glorious. 

Stylistically Anderson is on tip-top form. We open in crisp black and white framed in 1.33:1 for the television portrayal of the creation of the play before being thrust into 2.35:1 as we enter Asteroid City in something that can only be described as a heightened version of Technicolor where everything is an impossibly bright and pastel hued version of itself. The sets, which are purposely designed to look that way for the purposes of the story and all the props are created in intricate detail and are of course all framed perfectly with the camera panning horizontally and vertically. There is even time for Anderson to indulge in his passion for animation with a road runner, a jumping engine part and a special visitor to Asteroid City. In short it looks glorious and will have fans of Anderson and perfect order staring at the screen in delight. 

The story itself is filled with artifice in that it is a story nested within a story. The fictional story of a playwright who wrote a hit play that results in a television show about the creation of said play and its portrayal on screen. The result is many characters are actors playing the roles of the characters and with the intercutting between the story and the story of the story it allows for some fourth wall breaking and discussion around the themes of creating art. The result is partly a story about art and the creation of art and the creation of stories but really underneath all of the cleverness it is just another Wes Anderson film that talks about how people deal with grief. We have seen this many times across his filmography but here he overtly tells us that there is not an answer. In amongst all of the questioning about the meaning of life and what is out there, there is one beautiful moment where Augie breaks character and rushes to his director (Adrian Brody) and begs to know what the play is about and what it all means and the answer is simply, “It doesn’t matter. Just keep telling the story.” And under no circumstances does this feel like a spoiler because the point is that the story is the way we heal. We just have to keep going and tell our own story. 

And then of course in amongst all of this visual flair and clever storytelling devices and perfectly executed poignant emotion below the surface we have the actors who deliver Anderson’s trademark deadpan delivery. And what an abundance of riches Asteroid City delivers on this front. 

Jason Schwartzman made his film debut for Anderson in Rushmore and this is now his seventh film with him and possibly his finest role. The level of grief that runs under the surface is wonderful as he delivers a mannered and tightly coiled performance. Scarlett Johansson is in her second film for Anderson but her first where she is physically on camera (she provided her voice for Isle Of Dogs) and here she shows us all how wonderful an actress she is. So perfect at delivering Anderson dialogue it seems as though she too must be a veteran of his films. Together they are perfect as the leads who are joined by trauma. 

Whilst the most impactful new appearance in a Wes Anderson film must surely go to Margot Robbie who gets just one scene but one that is an absolute corker filled with emotional heft. 

Elsewhere there are a huge number of returning actors from the Anderson troupe including Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Willem Defoe, Bob Balaban, Tilda Swinton (all on their fifth film), Jeff Goldblum, Fisher Stevens (both on their fourth film), Liev Schreiber, Jarvis Cocker, Tony Revolori (all on their third film), Jeffery Wright, Bryan Cranston, Rupert Friend and Seu Jorge (all on their second film). 

And a swathe of other new actors to the Anderson group such as Tom Hanks (reminiscent of Gene Hackman’s Royal Tenenbaum), Maya Hawk (absolutely perfect), Matt Dillon and Steve Carell (in the role I would imagine Bruce Willis being in were he able). 

I loved it and I want to watch it again right now.