There's absolutely nothing new about "The Phoenician Scheme" if you've seen any of Wes Anderson's recent films, though at this point I think that's part of the appeal. The vast ensemble includes many actors who have appeared in Anderson projects, especially from the casts of "Asteroid City," and "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More," but the lead is a relative newcomer to the Anderson universe. Benicio Del Toro, who has only previously appeared in "The French Dispatch," plays the ruthless business mogul and arms dealer Zsa-Zsa Korda. He's one of the usual Anderson patriarchs, a man of great ego going through a midlife crisis, and trying to reconnect with his daughter before it's too late. That daughter, a deadpan novitiate nun named Liesl, is played by Mia Threapleton, in what is easily her biggest film role to date. Another newcomer is Michael Cera as a Norwegian entomologist named Bjorn, who is roped into the adventure.
So, immediately the Anderson film that "The Phoenician Scheme" most closely resembles is "The Royal Tenenbaums," which was also about a terrible father trying to pull off a series of elaborate schemes while struggling with the fact that he may want to become a better person. A lot of the story beats feel recycled and derivative, but fortunately the characters do not. After a near-death experience and very Fellini-inspired visions of the afterlife (Bill Murray plays God, naturally), Korda sets off on a globetrotting journey across multiple Mediterranean countries to gather funds for a massive infrastructure project that will either bankrupt or massively enrich him. Liesl, who wants nothing to with him, is incentivized to come along as his newly designated heir, because Korda has promised to help her get revenge against the man responsible for the death of her mother - probably Korda's evil half-brother Nubar (Benedict Cumberbatch in a ridiculous fake beard). Questions of spirituality are considered, not in much depth, but still I appreciated the attempt.
There's a very cartoonish quality to "The Phoenician Scheme" that I appreciated. I don't mean the artificiality of the art design and cinematography typical of most Wes Anderson films, which only seems to have gotten more pronounced over time. It's the humor that I want to highlight, because there's more of it here than usual - slapstick fight scenes, silly visual gags, and a few sublime moments of Looney Toons logic that I don't want to detail too much for fear of spoiling anything. There's a running gag where Korda brings along a fruit crate of hand grenades to every meeting, offering them to each new host and potential investor as gifts. There's the gradual escalation in the amount of weaponry everyone is carrying, and Liesl picking up new vices as the film goes on. I don't think that this is one of Anderson's better films on a story level, but I found myself laughing more consistently than I have at any of his efforts since "The Grand Budapest Hotel."
Benicio Del Toro is an actor I've had some trouble with over the years. He has the right energy for an Anderson hero, with his hangdog expression and aptitude for surrealism, but it took a long time for me to warm up to him, really almost until the end of the film. I also can't tell if Mia Threapleton and Michael Cera are actually good in this movie or not, because their characters are so stylized, but they play along with enthusiasm, which is enough. And if you're not a fan of the leads, there's a familiar face around every corner to discover - Bryan Cranston and Tom Hanks as basketball playing businessman, Richard Ayoade as a classy revolutionary, Rupert Friend as a government agent, Scarlett Johansson as a strong-willed utopian, and many more.
"The Phoenician Scheme" has been greeted with a shrug in critical circles, and I understand why. This is Anderson's third major project in three years, and while his filmmaking looks as good as it ever has, he's starting to come across as very predictable and overly familiar. The techniques and tricks that were so appealing in "The Grand Budapest Hotel" a decade ago don't have the same effect anymore, and Anderson shows no interest in pursuing new subject matter or new points of view. I enjoyed "The Phoenician Scheme" very much, and a lot of effort clearly went into its creation, but I can't help feeling that Wes Anderson is spinning his wheels, but losing momentum.
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