Story by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
Screenplay Written by Wes Anderson
Directed by Wes Anderson
** (two stars)
RATED PG 13
Running Time: 1hr 45min
It happens to even the very best of them.
Filmmaker Wes Anderson has existed at the top tier of my favorite filmmakers for close to 30 years as of this writing, and his status as being one of my personal cinematic heroes has not diminished in the least. That being said, even the most formidable can stumble and for me, notably for the very first time since I fell in love with Anderson's films beginning with his masterful second feature "Rushmore" (1998), I am met with disappointment.
Wes Anderson's "The Phoenician Scheme" delivers everything that could every expect from an Anderson film experience: the ornately meticulous production design, the droll and deadpan patterns of speech, a certain dollhouse structure to the proceedings overall. Yet, this time, the result feels like a hefty bag of ammunition for those who truly dislike to those who even detest Wes Anderson movies. For as much as there is to marvel at for an Anderson enthusiast like myself, I have to admit that for the very first time, I felt myself shifting in my seat, feeling unengaged with all of the wonderment occurring in front of my eyes. And to a crucial degree, I felt that the overall concept contained a certain disconnect that I could not get myself pass and therefore, kept me at an arms length. While not a bad film in the least, Frankly, "The Phoenician Scheme" left me cold.
Set in 1950, Wes Anderson's "The Phoenician Scheme" stars an excellent Benicio del Toro as Anatole "Zsa Zsa" Korda, an industrialist, financier and arms dealer who, at the start of the film, survives yet another assassination attempt. Feeling as if his days are growing numbered, as peppered by visions of the afterlife featuring the likes of a prophet (F. Murray Abraham), Korda's first wife-who is rumored to have been murdered by him (Charlotte Gainsbourg), and God himself (Bill Murray), Korda embarks upon a journey to change his ways to gain entrance into Heaven.
But, first some unfinished business...
First, Korda re-enters into the life of his estranged daughter and Catholic novice Sister Liesl (Mia Threapleton) with hopes to mend fences while also asking of her to abandon the church and take over his businesses. With a reluctant Liesl and Bjorn (Michael Cera), his administrative assistant (as well as Norwegian entomologist) in tow, Korda embarks upon his "Phoenician scheme," a plot to stake his entire fortune to overhaul the infrastructure of Phoenicia with slave labor by swindling his investors (played by Bryan Cranston, Tom Hanks and Jeffrey Wright, respectively) while being pursued by government agent Excalibur (Rupert Friend), further assassination attempts and the specter of Uncle Nubar Korda (Benedict Cumberbatch), Korda's estranged half-brother.
With its labyrinthine plot, dizzying speedball dialogue (which again, is an absolute blessing to listen to--especially during this current cinematic stage where the written word of screenplays are increasingly an afterthought), a variety of effective, engaging performances and again, a visual aesthetic and presentation second to none and singular in his trademark vision, Wes Anderson's "The Phoenician Scheme" contains many of the hallmarks that have defined his cinematic reputation as one of our most idiosyncratic artists. I feel that the secret ingredient to his filmography is that while the display of his aesthetic may feel artificial, they have always remained emotionally true as they often possess powerfully melancholic souls while being playfully offbeat.
As I have stated upon this site in past reviews, I felt for as wondrous as his filmography already was between "Rushmore" and "Moonrise Kingdom" (2012), it was the arrival of "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014), "Isle Of Dogs" (2018), and "The French Dispatch" (2021) where Anderson's inventiveness and creativity felt to skyrocket into gloriously uncharted, unfiltered territories yet they were all deeply felt love letters to a dreamworld Old Europe, Japanese cinema and the written worlds created within journalism, respectively while also existing as mournfully elegiac films about endings. "Asteroid City" (2023) was possibly his most arcane and even still, the emotional throughline was always present as I still feel that film was essentially Wes Anderson existential journey into why he makes films in the way that he chooses.
Yet, with "The Phoenician Scheme," there was an emptiness to me. Yes, Benicio del Toro impressed grandly, fully ingratiating himself into the Wes Anderson universe effortlessly. Mia Threapleton (Kate Winslet's daughter in her first leading role!) made a terrific impression as well. T The incorporation of musical pieces from composers Stravinsky, Beethoven and Mussorgsky among others greatly enhanced the film's elegantly ornate mood. And of course, there were sequences and moments in the comedy of manners that made me laugh out loud, from a ridiculous basketball game between Korda and his investors and Korda's penchant for offering hand grenades to others as innocuously as if he were passing out dinner mints.
Most especially, it is the gorgeous Cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel combined with the outstanding set design again made for images so stunning that I wished that I could've utilized the capacity to freeze frame images to study them or adore them like the finest of paintings. To that end, Anderson's physical utilization of his actors is possibly at its most extreme sense of being esoteric as the actors are often staged with a sense of unnatural rigidity, leaning heavily into the fabrication of the proceedings. They nearly look like human figurines and yet, they move. Returning to my delight in regarding each frame as if they were paintings, it is within the movement of the actors where it is almost like witnessing an illusion...a moving picture.
And what are the movies anyway?
All of this is extremely clever and it all contains the same sense of wonder. Don't get me wrong. There is a great amount to admire in "The Phoenician Scheme" but...crucially, without a soul, everything else is just window dressing.
Perhaps it was an over familiarity with some common Anderson themes and plot points. The dysfunctional family as headed, such as it is, by a cantankerous scoundrel Father/Father figure seeking a redemption arc in his elder years a la "The Royal Tenenbaums" (2001) or "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou" (2004), for instance. A main character barreling ahead within the story adorned with all manner of physical bruises mirroring inner pain and sorrow, a visual representation of literally being the walking wounded is reminiscent of "The Darjeelng Limited" (2007). We've seen al of this before from Anderson and even better, so why are we rehashing this avenue to this extent?
Furthermore, it is within this construct that Wes Anderson has injected themes and plot points, while clearly satirical, left me with a decidedly unpleasant taste, especially as we are living in the world we are existing in presently.
Let's be honest here. Despite all of the whimsy and playfulness on display combined with the full commitment of Benicio del Toro's performance in the leading role, the character of Anatole "Zsa Zsa" Korda is an irredeemable monster, making his quest for moral and spiritual redemption a non-starter.
Throughout the film, and once Korda begins to hatch his plot, which again is to bank his fortune as a means to swindle the fortunes of other irredeemable monsters to build an infrastructure utilizing slave labor, the film lost me.
It was as if I was being asked to sympathize with a Trump-ian figure, despite the fact that Korda is unquestionably more articulate, intelligent, educated, contemplative and elegant than who I could not help myself to constantly find my mind drifting towards. Korda's disdain for his children until he utilizes them for his self interests. The rumor of Korda possibly having murdered his ex-wife. The competitive palling around with the soulless investors felt like regarding self perceived "Masters Of The Universe" felt like regarding Bezos, Zuckerberg, Murdoch, Ailes, and Thiel playing with the world as if upon a string, the human cost forever irrelevant. It all felt too close to reality, so to speak, that I found myself detaching because I could not understand why Korda deserves salvation. For you cannot attain absolution through unrepentant capitalism. And frankly, when you end up essentially rooting for the assassins, I believe your film has proven itself unsuccessful with its ultimate goals.
Starting with "The Grand Budapest Hotel," Wes Anderson's fantasias have grown ever more sumptuous to my unwavering delight but with "The Phoenician Scheme," the film felt as if its contents were made up of previously used, or discarded or underthought ideas from the bottom drawer. For a track record that is as uncommonly high as Anderson's, I am certain he will rebound quickly.
But for now, and regardless of its strengths, "The Phoenician Scheme" is the first Wes Anderson film that I have no desire to revisit.
No comments:
Post a Comment