It's OK to dislike Wes Anderson's Asteroid City but I'm not sure I want to.

July 2, 2023

I watched Asteroid City a few days ago and it's living rent free in my head because I understand so little about it.

Asteroid City does strike me as Tropic Thunder for pretentious people. If you're better versed in the arts of making movies or stage plays you will perhaps look at Tropic Thunder as Asteroid City for simpletons.

(Tropic Thunder entertained me more than Asteroid City did, in the unlikely case you're unsure which category I fall into.)

A key difference between Tropic Thunder and Asteroid City is that the latter has three cascading realities (possibly four, I may have lost track), while the former has one. A simpleton way of interpreting the bright colors of the Asteroid City play brought to life, viewed through the lens of the cameras, is that the play is more real than real life, but that may not at all have been Anderson's intention. I don't know.

One of the puzzling details in the movie is a literal Chekhov's gun. Why is it in the movie? What is director Wes Anderson's point? That such rules are useless because the audience doesn't care? Or that they are valid because such objects distract audiences from what the play is trying to convey? I have no idea.

There are probably dozens of similar examples in the movie that are obvious to average play fans but way over the head of average play enjoyers.

Should you watch Asteroid City? Yes, sure, why not? If nothing else you'll learn whether you know play stuff and stuff or not.

Also...

Scarlet Johansson is in the movie.