2020s drama film comedy film science fiction film comedy drama

Asteroid City

2023 · United States · 105 min

Director: Wes Anderson
Screenplay: Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola
Producer: Wes Anderson, Steven Rales, Jeremy Dawson
Music: Alexandre Desplat
Cinematography: Robert Yeoman
Editing: Barney Pilling
Production company: American Empirical Pictures, Indian Paintbrush, Studio Babelsberg Independents

What the critics say

75 % Rotten Tomatoes positive reviews76 Metacritic /100

Cast

Aimee Mullins

What it is about

In 1955, a retro-futuristic version of the American Southwest hosts an annual astronomy gathering for gifted young stargazers and their families. The fictional desert town of Asteroid City, famous for a meteorite crater, becomes the setting for a reunion that brings together a widowed war photographer and his children, a movie actress weary of fame, a military general and a varied group of parents, schoolchildren and performers. An unexpected visitor disrupts the routine of the town and forces its residents to face a situation nobody is prepared for. Told through the symmetrical framing and vivid palette that define the director's style, the story blends science-fiction adventure with a wistful reflection on grief, curiosity and human connection.

How it was made

The project was announced in September 2020 as an untitled romance, with Wes Anderson writing, directing and producing alongside Jeremy Dawson and Steven Rales. Anderson co-wrote the script with Roman Coppola from a story by the two of them. The film is framed by a television documentary about the creation of a stage play, which adds a layer of self-reference. The cast was assembled in stages during 2021 and 2022, with Tilda Swinton, Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson and Jason Schwartzman among the names announced, and Steve Carell replacing Bill Murray after Murray contracted COVID-19 early in the shoot. Originally planned for Rome, the production filmed in Spain from August to October 2021, with cinematographer Robert D. Yeoman. Large sets in Chinchón recreated the desert landscape, a mock train station and other parts of the fictional town. Alexandre Desplat composed the score, his sixth collaboration with Anderson, and Barney Pilling edited the picture.

Reception and legacy

The film premiered in competition at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where it vied for the Palme d'Or, and opened in the United States in a limited release on June 16, 2023, before expanding a week later. Critics gave it generally positive reviews, praising its meticulous visual design and its large ensemble, although some found it less surprising than earlier work by its director. Reported to have a budget of $25 million, it grossed around $54 million worldwide. Within Anderson's filmography it sits alongside his other stage-like, carefully constructed films, and its mix of retro science fiction and melancholy comedy makes it one of the most recognisable releases of the director's recent period.