Asteroid City — Review: Wes Anderson Does it Again

by KJ Proulx

Promotional Artwork for ‘Asteroid City’ [Credit: Focus Features]

I was a late bloomer when it comes to Wes Anderson films. I’ve pretty much seen everything he has done now, but that wasn’t until about five years ago or so. It wasn’t until The French Dispatch that I came close to nearly disliking one of his films. So clearly, with that statement, you can tell I really like, if not love a lot of them. Well, thankfully, Asteroid City is one of the better additions to his filmography in my opinion, but unless you know what to expect from his films, I’m never recommending this to a casual moviegoer. If you know, you know.

Before I dive into what this film is about, just know that it’s far easier to understand in the actual film, but I will do my best. Beginning with a Black and White television show about a writer working on a play about a small rural town known as Asteroid City, the film quickly jumps into that actual story/play being written. The film itself is the story within the story, but the walls between them eventually begin to break, creating a very unique film in my opinion. At its core, this is a film about a father and his children who travel to Asteroid City after losing their mother, to compete in a stargazing competition. The film becomes about a lot more than that and some of the revelations had me cracking up as well. Not only is this film well-constructed and different…