Asteroid City (2023)
6.71 /10
644 Reviews
Rate This Movie:
In an American desert town circa 1955, the itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.
Videos & Photos
cast
... Augie Steenbeck
... Midge Campbell
... Stanley Zak
... General Gibson
... Dr. Hickenlooper
User reviews
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://insessionfilm.com/movie-review-asteroid-city/
"For fans of Wes Anderson, Asteroid City doesn’t disappoint, offering exactly what was expected from it. For viewers who don’t exactly appreciate the filmmaker’s style, I don’t think this film will convert you.
Personally, it’s nowhere near the level of The Grand Budapest Hotel, but it’s a considerable improvement over The French Dispatch."
Rating: B-
Director:
Release Date:
2023-06-08
Run Time:
105 min
MMPA Rating:
PG-13
Reviews of
Asteroid City
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://insessionfilm.com/movie-review-asteroid-city/
"For fans of Wes Anderson, Asteroid City doesn’t disappoint, offering exactly what was expected from it. For viewers who don’t exactly appreciate the filmmaker’s style, I don’t think this film will convert you.
Personally, it’s nowhere near the level of The Grand Budapest Hotel, but it’s a considerable improvement over The French Dispatch."
Rating: B-
Writer-director Wes Anderson has lost his way, and this film proves it. I realize that the auteur’s signature style of filmmaking is an acquired taste, and, to his credit, he’s made some fine pictures over the years. But this one is not among them. In fact, contrary to many of the inexplicable claims that this is his finest release, I’d contend just the opposite. It’s arguably his worst, a meandering, cryptic, unfocused piece that’s so muddled you’ll need the assistance of a search party to find your way out of it (that is, if you even care by the time the end of this overlong mess rolls around). The director appears to have become so enamored with his own eccentricity that it doesn’t even seem to matter to him whether or not viewers are on the same page as he is. Admittedly, this offering once again captures Anderson’s singularly stylish look with a stunning production design and gorgeous cinematography. But that’s all it has going for it, and that’s unfortunate given the phenomenal cast he has available to him. What’s more, despite his proficiency in creating superb visual style, he’s forgotten about pairing it with meaningful (or even interesting) substance. Its incomprehensibility and inclusion of bits that are there just for the sake of their own whimsy seriously undercut any effort to make this an intelligible work. In short, “Asteroid City” is yet another major disappointment in what is turning out to be a dreadfully dismal summer movie season. It’s likely to appeal only to diehard fans of the director (and maybe not even a lot of them this time out). If you’re on the fence about this one, consider the following two telling tipoffs: (1) when no one in the theater is laughing at what’s been billed as a comedy, that should speak volumes about it (as happened at the screening I attended); and (2) when you consider how aggressively and ubiquitously the distributors have been promoting this film in ads on TV and the internet, it’s obvious they’re trying awfully hard to peddle shabby, substandard merchandise. This is a huge waste of time and money; don’t squander yours.
Even though the film has a fair share of chuckle worthy moments, _Asteroid City_ shamelessly rolls around in its eccentricities and unapologetic blundering demeanor with no real depth or character development whatsoever. The gathering of extraordinary talent draws you in yet _Asteroid City_ doesn’t deliver a story that’s fully worth telling.
**Full review:** https://boundingintocomics.com/2023/06/24/asteroid-city-review-wes-andersons-charmless-comedic-drama/
Well Wes Anderson has certainly assembled a formidable cast here, but I'm afraid I found the whole thing very much a case of style over substance. It all happens in an one-horse town in Nevada where a meteorite crashed aeons ago. Every year the town awards those youngsters who have achieved something especial in the field of science, so they - and their families - gather together for the awards ceremony presided over by "Gen. Gibson" (Jeffrey Wright). The "Steenbeck" family are prominent with father and acclaimed photographer "Augie" (Jason Schwartzman) and his geeky son "Woodrow" (Jake Ryan) suffering the terminal breakdown of their car that necessitates the arrival of the boy's grandfather "Stanley" (Tom Hanks) who arrives in his Cadillac to witness this gathering of enigmatic characters staying in tiny chalets in what looked very much like one of the demonstration villages built near nuclear testing sites. "Augie" takes a shine to the glamorous actress neighbour "Midge" (Scarlett Johansson) and his son to her daughter "Dinah" (Grace Edwards) and whilst these romances build in the quirkiest of fashions, we are introduced to some of the other quaint characters who inhabit the place - leaving me, unfortunately with a sort of bemused who cares sentiment. The photography is intense, intimate, intrusive almost and features more than it's share of whip pans and rolling panoramas and the dialogue is not without some pith - but I couldn't help but leave the cinema after the second viewing of this not such masterpiece cinema wondering if it were all just a case of emperor's new clothes. It wasn't that I felt that I missed something, it was that I felt that there was nothing to miss. The story - insofar as there actually was one - could hardly have been more incidental to this whimsy of a film that I would certainly agree looks great, but whose sum of the parts did not add up to much of an whole. I readily acknowledge that I don't do surreal particularly well, but for me this didn't amount to anything at all worth writing, let alone raving, about. Sorry - unremarkable.
Most critics have their personal favorite directors, and it’s sometimes a challenge to keep strict objectivity when reviewing one of their projects. That’s why it pains me to write about “Asteroid City,” the sluggish, smug, exasperating new film from co-writer and director Wes Anderson. In what is unquestionably his worst film by a mile, Anderson leans too heavily on his ordered, signature visual symmetry, saturated color palate, and A-list cast while completely forgetting how to make an entertaining movie.
The film takes place in a tiny desert town (famous for their giant crater) where the Junior Stargazers and Space Cadets are holding their awards convention. The event brings together students and their parents, all oddballs in their own right, from all over the country. When a UFO is spotted, the visitors are quarantined until the government deems it safe for them to return to the real world.
The plot is thin yet confusing, as the film simultaneously depicts the events of the convention in the form of a stage play, the creation of the play, and the actual events in a retro version of 1955. With so much going on, you’d think it would be at least mildly interesting, but the movie is sluggish and packed with conversational and head-scratching filler that lends nothing to the story.
There is a wacky cast of (too many) characters, and only a handful turn out to be memorable. The expected roster of Anderson regulars make an appearance (Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson) as well as big names that are new to working with the director (Bryan Cranston, Tom Hanks, Maya Hawke, Matt Dillon, Steve Carell, Liev Schreiber, Hong Chau, Jake Ryan). It’s a dream of a cast list, but this film goes to show that a talented roster doesn’t always result in a gem. There’s nothing wrong with any of the performances, but it’s the source material that needs a lot of work.
“Asteroid City” may be visually delightful, but it is filled with a detached, hipster indifference that’s off-putting. This is one of the biggest failures of the year, and it’s not because the film is “too Wes Anderson-y,” nor is it because of the general Anderson fatigue: this movie is a series of flagrant missteps that cause the project to flounder and fall.
Top tongue-in-cheek directors: Wes Anderson and Wen Jiang. Asteroid City isn't my favorite Wes film, but it's surely tongue-in-cheek and pretty damn funny.
This movie reminds me a little of Tennessee Williams, the all-time master of damaged and traumatized human psyches. I see this work as a treatise on human issues, especially the labels given to us by others and those we give ourselves, and how they affect one's life and relationships.
The partial view of the "Confessions of a Narcissist" marquis that showed up in the background of the tet-a-tet between Augie and his almost-onstage-wife is a clue. The term "narcissist" didn't become popular psychology until the 1980s. There were other anachronisms, but this one is particularly striking in context.
And what's with that song and dance number in the middle of the show? The band that showed up in this desert had no other raison d'etre!! Did Wes just reference the Time Warp from The Rocky Horror Picture Show??
Cast & Crew of
Asteroid City
Cast
... Augie Steenbeck
... Midge Campbell
... Stanley Zak
... General Gibson
... Dr. Hickenlooper
... The Host
... Conrad Earp
... Schubert Green
... J.J. Kellogg
... Sandy Borden
... Roger Cho
... Montana
... June Douglas
... The Motel Manager
... The Mechanic
... Saltzburg Keitel
... The Aide-de-Camp
... Woodrow
... Dinah
... Clifford
... Shelly
... Ricky
... Andromeda
... Pandora
... Cassiopeia
... Waitress
... Cashier
... Cook
... Romulus
... Bus Driver
... Chaperone
... Bernice
... Billy
... Dwight
... Other Pupil
... Other Pupil
... Other Pupil
... Other Pupil
... Other Pupil
... Other Pupil
... Other Cowboy
... Other Cowboy
... Other Cowboy
... Other Cowboy
... Bodyguard/Driver
... Motel Handyman
... Conrad Earp's Secretary
... Larkings Executive
... Detective #1
... Detective #2
... Mary
... Military-Science Ensign
... Military-Science Ensign
... 'Stunt Double'
... The Alien
... Polly
... Lunky
... Telephone Booth Guard
... Mrs. Weatherford
... Skip Weatherford
... Newsboy
... Newsboy
... The Actress / Wife
... Backstage Sound Man
... Engineer
... Pilotman
... Brakeman
... Hobo
... Caddy
... Outlaw on the Run
... Outlaw on the Run
... State Trooper
... State Trooper
... State Trooper
... Cameraman
... Motel Guest (at Shower)
... Motel Guest (at Shower)
... Motel Gardener
... Motel Maid
... T-Shirt Vendor
... Bookseller
... Man with Soda
... Hot Dog Stand
... Girl on Blanket
... Girl on Blanket
... Souvenir Booth
... Souvenir Booth
... Boy in Spacesuit
... Ferris Wheel Crew
... Ferris Wheel Crew
... Ferris Wheel Crew
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Other Actor / Student
... Scientist
... Scientist
... Scientist
... Scientist
... Scientist
... Scientist
... Scientist
... Scientist
... Scientist / Military-Science Officer
... Train Porter
... Seamstress
... Recording Secretary
... Military-Science Officer
... Military-Science Officer
... Military-Science Officer
... Military-Science Officer
... Military-Science Officer
... Military-Science Guard
... Military-Science Guard
... Military-Science Guard
... Military-Science Guard
... Military-Science Guard
... Military-Science Guard
... Military-Science Guard
... Military-Science Guard
... Military-Science Guard
... Military-Science Guard
... Military-Science Guard
... Military-Science Guard
... Military-Science Guard
... Military-Science Guard
... Military-Science Guard
... Military-Science Guard
... Parent on TV Screen
... Parent on TV Screen
... Parent on TV Screen
... Parent on TV Screen
... Parent on TV Screen
... Parent on TV Screen
... Chaperone 2 (uncredited)
Crew
... Casting Associate
... Original Music Composer
... Screenplay
... Director
... Producer
... Story
... Director of Photography
... Casting
... Costume Design
... Executive Producer
... Executive Producer
... Music Supervisor
... Executive Producer
... Story
... Additional Editor
... Director of Photography
... Art Direction
... Prosthetics
... Editor
... Steadicam Operator
... Key Grip
... Stunt Coordinator
... Supervising Art Director
... Producer
... Producer
... Concept Artist
... Production Design
... Set Decoration
... Executive Producer
... Concept Artist
... Seamstress
... Wardrobe Supervisor
... First Assistant Director
... Assistant Editor
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Sculptor
... Foley Artist
... Special Effects Coordinator
... Costume Illustrator
... Script Supervisor
... Special Effects
... Property Master
... Sound Effects Editor
... Line Producer
... Gaffer
... Best Boy Grip
... Casting Associate
... Supervising Sound Editor
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Supervising Sound Editor
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Makeup Supervisor
... Dialogue Editor
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Visual Effects Director
... Prosthetics
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Animation
... Hair Designer
... Makeup Designer
... Co-Producer
... Set Dresser
... Music Coordinator
... Special Effects Supervisor
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Prosthetics
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Visual Effects Producer
... Art Direction
... Special Effects Makeup Artist
... Colorist
... Assistant Costume Designer
... Sculptor
... Assistant Costume Designer
... Co-Producer
... Makeup & Hair
... Legal Services
... Foley Mixer
... Assistant Editor
... Second Unit Director
... Key Set Costumer
... Hairstylist
... Makeup & Hair
... Crowd Assistant Director
... Digital Compositor
... Standby Property Master
... Stunt Driver
... Prosthetics Sculptor
... Boom Operator
... Visual Effects Editor
... Concept Artist
... Visual Effects Editor
... VFX Editor
... Graphic Designer
... Other
... Actor's Assistant
... Electrician
... Visual Effects Producer
... Crowd Assistant Director
... Digital Compositor
... Draughtsman
... Visual Effects Production Manager
... Digital Compositor
... Visual Effects Compositor
... Digital Compositor
... Music Editor
... Makeup & Hair
... Special Effects Supervisor
... Key Grip
... Best Boy Grip
... Production Executive
... Standby Art Director
... Finance
... Assistant Set Decoration
... Colorist
... Visual Effects Coordinator
... Sound Mixer
... Casting Associate
... Assistant Costume Designer
... First Assistant Camera
... Second Assistant Director
... Second Assistant Camera
... Standby Property Master
... Crowd Assistant Director
... Set Decorating Coordinator
... Set Dresser
... VFX Supervisor
... Digital Compositor
... Sound Effects Editor
... Digital Compositor
... Electrician
... Assistant Production Coordinator
... Art Department Coordinator
... Lighting Design
... Digital Compositor
... Second Second Assistant Director
... Producer's Assistant
... Digital Compositor
... First Assistant Editor
... Assistant Editor
... Assistant Foley Artist
... Storyboard Artist
... Grip
... Electrician
... Digital Compositor
... Transportation Coordinator
... Props
... Visual Effects Producer
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Makeup & Hair
... First Assistant Camera
... Digital Compositor
... Makeup Artist
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Compositing Supervisor
... Visual Effects Producer
... Assistant Set Decoration Buyer
... Set Dresser
... Clearances Coordinator
... Art Direction
... Daily Electrics
... Art Direction
... Art Direction
... Assistant Editor
... Visual Effects Producer
... Visual Effects Compositor
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Visual Effects Compositor
... Visual Effects
... Digital Compositor
... Camera Loader
... Standby Painter
... Costumer
... Still Photographer
... Picture Car Coordinator
... Armorer
... Unit Manager
... Visual Effects Compositor
... Other
... Assistant Editor
... Lighting Technician
... Carpenter
... Associate Producer
... Visual Effects Producer
... Wigmaker
... Best Boy Electric
... Hairstylist
... Sculptor
... Makeup Artist
... Third Assistant Director
... Digital Compositor
... Location Manager
... Assistant Location Manager
... Assistant Location Manager
... Set Production Assistant
... Digital Compositor
... Visual Effects Assistant Editor
... Visual Effects
... Visual Effects Coordinator
... Crowd Assistant Director
... Visual Effects Producer
... VFX Production Coordinator
... Digital Compositor
... VFX Editor
... Compositing Supervisor
... Roto Supervisor
... Digital Compositor
... Visual Effects Coordinator
... Rotoscoping Artist
... Visual Effects Coordinator
... VFX Editor
... Visual Effects Coordinator
... Matte Painter
... Digital Compositor
... Visual Effects
... Visual Effects Producer
... Sequence Lead
... Visual Effects Producer
... Visual Effects Compositor
... Visual Effects Producer
... Visual Effects Compositor
... Casting Associate
... Production Assistant
... Second Assistant Accountant
... Production Accountant
... Travel Coordinator
... Production Office Assistant
... Production Driver
... Driver
... Driver
... Makeup Artist
... Makeup Artist
... Makeup & Hair
... Prosthetics
... Crowd Assistant Director
... Crowd Assistant Director
... Crowd Assistant Director
... Crowd Assistant Director
... Painter
... Assistant Set Dresser
... Concept Artist
... Construction Coordinator
... Art Department Production Assistant
... Props
... Scenic Artist
... Draughtsman
... Painter
... Props
... Props
... Property Buyer
... Special Props
... Assistant Set Dresser
... Assistant Set Decoration
... Sculptor
... Translator
... Special Effects Technician
... Special Effects Technician
... Electrician
... Lighting Programmer
... Lighting Technician
... Lighting Programmer
... Electrician
... Grip
... Electrician
... Key Rigging Grip
... Costumer
... Costume Coordinator
... Post Production Coordinator
... Rigging Gaffer
... Costume Illustrator
... 3D Artist
... Graphic Designer
Similar Movies To
Asteroid City
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
7.038/10
David, a robotic boy—the first of his kind programmed to love—is adopted as a test case by a Cybertronics employee and his wife. Though he gradually becomes their child, a series of unexpected circumstances make this life impossible for David.
Release: 2001-06-29
M*A*S*H (1970)
6.963/10
The staff of a Korean War field hospital use humor and hijinks to keep their sanity in the face of the horror of war.
Release: 1970-02-18
You Only Live Twice (1967)
6.558/10
A mysterious spacecraft captures Russian and American space capsules and brings the two superpowers to the brink of war. James Bond investigates the case in Japan and comes face to face with his archenemy Blofeld.
Release: 1967-06-13
Aliens (1986)
7.93/10
When Ripley's lifepod is found by a salvage crew over 50 years later, she finds that terra-formers are on the very planet they found the alien species. When the company sends a family of colonists out to investigate her story—all contact is lost with the planet and colonists. They enlist Ripley and the colonial marines to return and search for answers.
Release: 1986-07-18
Meet the Fockers (2004)
6.231/10
Hard-to-crack ex-CIA man Jack Byrnes and his wife Dina head for the warmer climes of Florida to meet the parents of their son-in-law-to-be, Greg Focker. Unlike their happily matched offspring, the future in-laws find themselves in a situation of opposites that definitely do not attract.
Release: 2004-12-22
The Last Emperor (1987)
7.626/10
A dramatic history of Puyi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.
Release: 1987-10-04
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
7.324/10
Lorelei Lee is a beautiful showgirl engaged to be married to the wealthy Gus Esmond, much to the disapproval of Gus' rich father, Esmond Sr., who thinks that Lorelei is just after his money. When Lorelei goes on a cruise accompanied only by her best friend, Dorothy Shaw, Esmond Sr. hires Ernie Malone, a private detective, to follow her and report any questionable behavior that would disqualify her from the marriage.
Release: 1953-07-14
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
6.7/10
Instead of flying to Florida with his folks, Kevin ends up alone in New York, where he gets a hotel room with his dad's credit card—despite problems from a clerk and meddling bellboy. But when Kevin runs into his old nemeses, the Wet Bandits, he's determined to foil their plans to rob a toy store on Christmas Eve.
Release: 1992-11-19
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
7.457/10
It is the 23rd century. The Federation Starship U.S.S. Enterprise is on routine training maneuvers and Admiral James T. Kirk seems resigned to the fact that this inspection may well be the last space mission of his career. But Khan is back. Aided by his exiled band of genetic supermen, Khan - brilliant renegade of 20th century Earth - has raided Space Station Regula One, stolen a top secret device called Project Genesis, wrested control of another Federation Starship and sets out in pursuit of the Enterprise, determined to let nothing stand in the way of his mission: kill Admiral Kirk... even if it means universal Armageddon.
Release: 1982-06-04
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
7.752/10
Marty and Doc are at it again in this wacky sequel to the 1985 blockbuster as the time-traveling duo head to 2015 to nip some McFly family woes in the bud. But things go awry thanks to bully Biff Tannen and a pesky sports almanac. In a last-ditch attempt to set things straight, Marty finds himself bound for 1955 and face to face with his teenage parents -- again.
Release: 1989-11-22
K-PAX (2001)
7.184/10
Prot is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a far away planet. His psychiatrist tries to help him, only to begin to doubt his own explanations.
Release: 2001-10-22
Predator 2 (1990)
6.253/10
A police chief in the war-torn streets of Los Angeles discovers that an extraterrestrial creature is hunting down residents - and that he is the next target.
Release: 1990-11-20
Back to the Future Part III (1990)
7.466/10
The final installment of the Back to the Future trilogy finds Marty digging the trusty DeLorean out of a mineshaft and looking for Doc in the Wild West of 1885. But when their time machine breaks down, the travelers are stranded in a land of spurs. More problems arise when Doc falls for pretty schoolteacher Clara Clayton, and Marty tangles with Buford Tannen.
Release: 1990-05-25
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
6.4/10
When an alien race and factions within Starfleet attempt to take over a planet that has "regenerative" properties, it falls upon Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise to defend the planet's people as well as the very ideals upon which the Federation itself was founded.
Release: 1998-12-11
Dead Poets Society (1989)
8.314/10
At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern headmaster.
Release: 1989-06-02
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
5.993/10
Set during the Cold War, the Soviets—led by sword-wielding Irina Spalko—are in search of a crystal skull which has supernatural powers related to a mystical Lost City of Gold. Indy is coerced to head to Peru at the behest of a young man whose friend—and Indy's colleague—Professor Oxley has been captured for his knowledge of the skull's whereabouts.
Release: 2008-05-21
Stand by Me (1986)
7.86/10
Gordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern are four friends who decide to hike to find the corpse of Ray Brower, a local teenager, who was hit by a train while plucking blueberries in the wild.
Release: 1986-08-08
The Godfather (1972)
8.709/10
Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.
Release: 1972-03-14
Scratch (2016)
6.5/10
When a repressed 1950s housewife is left alone by her philandering husband, she makes a horrifying discovery about the noises in the house that are coming from the walls.
Release: 2016-10-22
Gieselmann (2021)
9/10
How do you become who you are? Through the slights one experiences, believes freelance journalist and author Dirk Gieselmann. One late evening, he is alone in his apartment. His camera is set up in front of him, with which he records himself. In doing so, he first introduces himself personally and announces that he will call three people. In the telephone calls that follow, he confronts his interlocutors with long-ago encounters, experienced ruthlessness and the accusation that they drove him out of the paradise of childhood. That evening, he wants to know what the reasons were for the slights and hopes to be able to make sense of them. He realizes that his childhood has finally come to an end and remembers the world of thoughts that surrounded him when he was a little boy. Then he receives an unexpected call from his family.
Release: 2021-04-08