Directed By Wes Anderson

Starring – Benicio Del Toro, Mia Therapleton, Michael Cera

The Plot – Wealthy businessman, Zsa-zsa Korda (Del Toro) appoints his only daughter (Therapleton), a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins.

Rated PG-13 for violent content, bloody images, some sexual material, nude images, and smoking throughout.

THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME – Official Trailer [HD] – Only in Theaters May 30

POSITIVES

From a cinematic distinguishment, Wes Anderson might just be the single most familiar filmmaker in the world today, with his one of a kind personality conjured in the consistencies of his engagements, and while “The Phoenician Scheme” is more of the same comfort food that his hardcore legion of fans have enjoyed for nearly thirty years, it’s never the less the kind of masterclass filmmaking that inspires such a uniquely radiant experience, with Anderson’s direction essentially having an influence to every single element of the movie’s production. In terms of visuality, it’s the bulbously vibrant entrancement in color coordination that streams breathlessly within the intricacies of his set designs, brandishing with them not only a rich versatility of textures throughout the many settings in photographs that are brought to life with thoroughly detailed transitions, but also a three-dimensional tangibility to those various locations that make them pop with highly immersive framing, giving us a storybook splendor that works especially well with Anderson’s chapter abridged storytelling. The cinematography here from first time Anderson collaborator, Bruno Delbonnel, authentically renders the many motions of the lens, as well as the boxed-in framing that have become staples of Anderson engagements, all underscored with Alexandre Desplat’s unraveling series of orchestral compositions, making every shot and sequence flourish with vital importance and specificity, particularly in a film with the kind of emotional complexity of a repairing relationship between father and daughter, which continuously zeroes in on the facial registries of its characters. There’s something to be said for a photographer who can capture the distinctness of visual storytelling that simultaneously holds the movie’s tone in the palm of his hands, and even with critically acclaimed work steering films like “The Tragedy of Macbeth” or “Darkest Hour”, the articulation that he accomplishes with “The Phoenician Scheme” might be his single grandest achievement to date, flourishing first perspective photography in everything from zeroed-in novels, to blueprint plans, in ways that get us closer to the seeds of the story than a script ever could. Speaking of the script, there are highs and lows to the storytelling here, however the thematic impulses pertaining to fatherhood, redemption, and especially legacy are among the underlining depth contained within this hostile business takeover, making this feel like the most sentimental material that Wes has written since “The Grand Budapest Hotel”. That’s not to say that this movie loses sight of its humor with the sappy, as it’s very much the caustically dry delivered frolic that we’ve come to expect from Anderson’s imagination, but the quirky does give way to camaraderie during the movie’s third act climax, taking an initially detestable lead protagonist in Zsa-Zsa, and humbling him with the attained knowledge from surviving death so many times, which gives him a refreshingly redeeming outlook on life, in turn transforming the character before our very eyes without sacrificing the unpredictably selfish impulses of the character that fittingly define him. On top of this, there is some, shall we say, unsubtle social commentary unapologetically elicited from a power-hungry protagonist seeking riches by taxing everyone else, that bares more than a striking resemblance to a current U.S politician, appraising more than a few endearing ironies to the exploration that surmise an entertaining and enlightening value to the proceedings. Thankfully, it’s nothing too overbearing or evidentially obvious in execution, but there are definitely means to the implication that become entirely apparent, especially once the term “Tariffs” are thrown around, and it gives Anderson this unforeseen fearless side as a screenwriter that transcends the movie and character’s fictional enveloping. As for the performances from another highly talented and eclectic ensemble, it’s the main trio listed above that take center stage, bringing so much measured personality in the air of their portrayals that I couldn’t look away from. This is especially the case for Del Toro, who despite being saddled with an aforementioned detestable characterization of sorts, unloads gallons of complex depth and captivating remorsefulness that stands as the manifestation of a bitterly traumatic past, and one that the movie depends upon greatly to steer its narrative towards the empathetic waters of a tenderly touching finale. Michael Cera also effortlessly blends into Anderson’s quirky direction, despite this being surprisingly his first experience with such, with him reveling in the strangely somber sentiments of the portrayal that conjured the most laughs of anyone in the cast, and with flourishing chemistry attained alongside Mia Therapleton’s breakthrough performance, with impeccable dead-pan deliveries in her own right, the film serves as a showcase for its newest additions, undoubtedly cementing both of them as Anderson repeaters in the inevitable future.

NEGATIVES

Though Anderson’s filmmaking sensibilities haven’t withered for a single solitary second throughout a prestigious career full of highs, here it’s his comedic material that unfortunately fails to measure up, with a bulk of the material failing to register anything of a long-winded laugh throughout my engagement. Being that comedy is a subjective artform, results will obviously vary between respective audiences, but in my case, the overwhelming influence of many deliveries gone audibly silent influenced my accessibility to the narrative, in turn underwhelming the movie’s momentum towards feeling every inch of its 96-minute runtime, the likes of which are around the average mark for runtimes with this director. Aside from detractingly uninfluential humor, the story itself falls a bit suspect, especially in the overwhelming transparency of an inferior second half, which strays a bit further than I would prefer from the established arc between father and daughter, as well as the urgency articulated with Zsa-Zsa’s mission to lower the material costs of his company’s everyday operations. To be fair, it can be argued that the entirety of the second half does pertain to the latter mission, as everything these characters are doing is meant to summon a cheaper bill for Zsa-Zsa, it’s just that with the abundance of cameo porn, with only Benedict Cumberbatch attaining a meaningful performance, and the lack of empowering stakes to the established proceedings, the script starts to lose sight of what’s integral to the storytelling, and it makes an arc that could easily be compressed into an exceptional 40-minute short film feel elastically stretched to meet the movie’s aforementioned runtime, making it all the more difficult to remain faithfully invested to the trio’s journey, as the structure becomes overwhelmed by an episodic structure to their mission. This is where the inconsistency in editing comes into play, as the abrupt endings and afterthought resolutions to these individual trips makes it difficult to properly invest in them, occasionally replacing them with these highly artistic subconscious sequences meant to tap into Zsa-Zsa’s fear of the afterlife. I label the editing inconsistent because it’s great when emulating Anderson’s typical presentation, but here undercut the rewards in resolutions of coming along for the long-distance journey, resulting in these frustrating jolts forward that leave the audience hanging, until somewhere in the following scene we’re told what happened.

OVERALL
“The Phoenician Scheme” isn’t exactly Wes Anderson returning to fine form, but it is more fandom reinforcing of the delightfully unique artistic flare and quirky personality that have made his films such idiosyncratic spectacles, with another colorfully expansive ensemble carrying out his work. While the film stalls with inconsistent editing practices and comedy that doesn’t reach the creativity or command of his most prestigious efforts, this is Anderson at his most socially responsive, with eye-opening social commentary and sentimental family value providing meaning to the lusciously lavish escapism that took thirty years to perfect.

My Grade: 7.1 or C+