Asteroid City
Playwright Conrad Earp (Edward Norton) has completed his latest work detailing the tale of a father (Jason Schwartzman) driving his precocious son, Woodrow (Jake Ryan), to receive an award for his scientific research in the fictional town of Asteroid City. While in Asteroid city a confluence of events takes place locking all inhabitants and visitors into quarantine. It’s during this lockdown each inhabitant will have their own revelation for better or for worse.
Written by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola and Directed by Anderson, this veritable who’s who of Wes Anderson’s greatest hits features the usual expected cast of players adding a few new faces along the way, all delivering deadpan lines of efforted dialogue. Meticulous in set design and art direction, the usual Anderson feast of nuttiness is on full display, and, plinking soundtrack from none other than Alexandre Desplat does its best to sell the drama. Sadly, this return to Wes world, comes up a bit empty handed with comedic beats lacking punch, and, despite all its efforts, echoes a resounding “meh,” we’ve seen these gags before and the bar has not been raised further. Seemingly forgettable, tidy bows and all, this brisk hour and forty four minutes seems appropriately timed. Asteroid City is Rated PG-13.