"The Phoenician Scheme:" Another Piece of Shallow, Meandering Eye Candy

[This review is spoiler free]

Everyone who hasn't been living under a rock for the past two decades has heard of the name Wes Anderson. His signature filmmaking style of witty dialogue, precocious characters, pastel colors, and static camera work has made him one of the most recognizable directors currently working. Whenever a new Wes Anderson project drops, the whole film world pays attention, and that is exactly what happened last night at this year's Cannes Film Festival when The Phoenician Scheme made its official premiere to an audience of 2,300. But unfortunately, the only interesting scheme that took place was was the theft of my time.

Wes Anderson has a reputation for making films that are undeniably star-studded, and The Phoenician Scheme is no different. Including the likes of Benicio Del Toro, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Michael Cera, Jeffrey Wright, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Scarlett Johansson. It also stars newcomer, Mia Threapleton, daughter of Kate Winslet. It was easily the hardest premiere ticket to acquire at Cannes this year, coming from such a big director like Wes Anderson.

Since 2021, Wes Anderson has released three feature films as well as a series of shorts for Netflix. He has a very quick turnaround time for director as big as he is.

The Phoenician Scheme is by far Anderson's most visually striking film to date. Every shot is so carefully planned, color-graded, directed, and lit to perfection. The whole movie is aesthetically cohesive to the point where any frame would fit in as a framed print on someone's wall. Robert Yeoman once again outdoes himself in terms of cinematography, utilizing his signature style of static shots and steady pans. In addition, Alexandre Desplat returns with another stellar original score in addition to some existing classical music.

Benicio Del Toro and newcomer, Mia Threapleton have a great on-screen dynamic as dysfunctional father and daughter. When it was announced not too long ago that Michael Cera would be starring in the film, the internet went crazy with excitement, and audiences will be delighted to know that his performance is easily one of the film's most entertaining attributes. Come for Michael Cera, stay for Mia Threapleton.

Unfortunately, not everything about The Phoenician Scheme is as well-done as its visuals and performances...

Wes Anderson's last feature, Asteroid City received mixed reviews for being style-over-substance and unfortunately, that is even more true with his latest film, The Phoenician Scheme. There's no way around it, the plot is incredibly confusing. It's something to do with an inheritance, the price of rivets, and the paternity of a nun. As disappointed as I am to say, it had me dozing off in the third act. It's just not a film that holds your attention in terms of story. It was clearly written to be chaotic but it feels languid and meandering. There's a full scheme dedicated to a basketball game that while brilliantly shot, feels like a waste of time.

The Phoenician Scheme is the kind of film you play in the background of a hipster party with no sound on to purely enjoy the visuals. It's frustrating because this film had a lot of potential and there are glimpses of greatness in there, but it's just not enough, especially considering how high audience expectations were.

The fact that Wes Anderson is able to pump out so many feature films in a short time period is commendable. It's clear that he's a director who truly loves the art form, and even though The Phoenician Scheme fell short of the greatness we know he's capable of, I have hope that his next project will be better.

In the meantime, the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival rages on with many more features to make their premieres in the next week, maybe we'll see something better.