Rohini Kudva / The Hoya
In terms of sheer quantity of work, Wes Anderson has foraged an almost unprecedented cinematic run in the past few years. The director, known for his iconic style of cinematography — defined by symmetrical shots colored in pastel hues and fast, low-inflection dialogue — has seemingly been on a creative marathon over a five year period beginning in 2021. Since then, he has directed three theatrical releases, including “The French Dispatch” and “Asteroid City,” as well as several short films released directly to Netflix. But does quantity translate to quality? His latest film, while consisting of all the positive hallmarks that make a Wes Anderson film a Wes Anderson film, proves some of the director’s limitations, including an emphasis on style over substance.
“The Phoenician Scheme” is undoubtedly an engaging ride from start to finish. It follows Anatole “Zsa-zsa” Korda (Benicio del Toro), a shady but wealthy businessman planning to embark on his largest, most ambitious industrial prospect, the titular ‘Phoenician Scheme.’ However, after surviving an assassination attempt and learning his enemies’ machinations have left a large gap in the funding for his grand plan, he reaches out to his only daughter, nun-in-training Sister Liesl (Mia Threapleton), for help.
Korda aims for Liesl to assist him in his goal of refinancing his scheme and also take over his affairs, despite her clear-cut moral opposition to the endeavor. The father-daughter duo travel across Phoenicia, along with entomologist Bjørn (Michael Cera), in hopes of salvaging the project. The story is separated into a series of meetings with various benefactors, played by Anderson’s usual cast of actors, including Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson and Mathieu Amalric, before culminating in an ultimate meeting involving almost all the characters.
The film has a lot to offer audiences: It is a fast-paced jaunt through well-crafted sets and locations accompanied by zany, distinct characters. The film’s muted orange, blue and green color scheme, while strikingly similar to Anderson’s last work, “Asteroid City,” is gorgeous and visually intriguing, allowing full immersion into the world of Anderson’s creation.
The movie’s script and character direction are particular standouts. From overly competitive basketball games to scenes of familiar bonding, the movie is laugh-out-loud funny throughout its runtime. While many of Anderson’s films have a general tone of ironic comedy, its commitment to humor allows “The Phoenician Scheme” to stand out from the crowd and add that extra bit of entertainment value, which makes seeing the film truly worth it.
Amongst the large cast, Michael Cera, who is a match made in heaven for Anderson’s style, gives an undeniably magnetic and hilarious performance. His quirky and awkward style of acting blends perfectly with the director’s preferred cadence and characterization choices. His scenes in particular are truly comedic.
However, in the landscape of Wes Anderson’s work, “The Phoenician Scheme” feels as if it is bordering on routine — almost to the point of derivativeness. Everything, from plot, to characters, to story beats, feels a bit repetitive, if not formulaic. If you are familiar with Anderson’s work, you might find yourself practically predicting major twists or a character’s next comment.
Furthermore, I feel this particular film lacks the depth that other recent Anderson works still manage to maintain despite their archetypal style. While “The French Dispatch” was guided by an interesting story structure and an intriguing message regarding the nature of storytelling and “Asteroid City” involved a surprisingly poignant message about grief, “The Phoenician Scheme” does not seem to engage much in subtextual theming or grand messaging. While certain elements of the story do involve intense debates around immorality and ruminations on the nature of family, the film itself seems less interested in these possible opportunities for depth, skimming the surface of what could be a powerful exploration of these topics. As a result, the movie does not strike the audience as anything more than a simple action-adventure flick. If this was what Anderson was going for — a departure from the thought-proving fables or parables he normally constructs — he absolutely succeeded. Personally, this new direction left me a bit unsatisfied.
Still, Anderson’s sheer creative style and typical ability to entertain keeps “The Phoenician Scheme” from ever feeling stale. An uninspired Wes Anderson movie is still more inspired than almost any offering in today’s cinematic scene. If you like any part of Anderson’s work, you will definitely like this film. If you are less on board with the director, this may just be the best film to start with due to its fast pace and truly hilarious moments.