In the same way that I find that some take what Wes Anderson delivers in his films for granted, I’m sure I’m idealizing his process. Making reasonably budgeted features with attractive ensemble casts, as far as studios are concerned, that get in and out in under two hours must feel like some sort of relief for a filmmaker who has seemingly never compromised on their proposed vision. As it stands, The Phoenician Scheme is another Anderson tale that entirely fits in line with his other features while still pushing into new directions. It has comparatively less heart than his previous feature, Asteroid City, but while that surprisingly emotional, Russian-doll-like structured film kept audiences contained in a summer-colored predicament, The Phoenician Scheme is an adventure lark with eyes on what happens when materialism and enlightenment collide. It’s also very funny and allows star Benicio del Toro to speak more lines in a row than I can ever remember.
Set whenever, because years never really matter in Anderson’s films, we are introduced in media res and mid-flight to del Toro’s Zsa-zsa Korda, a wealthy businessman whose plane is about to crash due to the latest attempt on his life. You see, Korda has acquired so much wealth and businesses around the world that it has turned him into the target of a variety of tycoons, terrorists, and assassins. Once his plane crash-lands into a cornfield, however, Korda experiences a vision of the afterlife and decides to do something about it. Despite having many male children, Korda appoints his only daughter, Liesl (Mia Threapleton), as his sole heir. She’s a nun-in-training, but let’s not get too bogged down in those details yet. Instead, focusing on the other part of this plot, Korda has some sort of scheme in mind that will settle his affairs but requires him to travel the world with Liesl, meeting with old associates and family members. Do some want to kill him? Absolutely, but these are merely minor difficulties in Korda’s eyes.
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The nonchalant approach to extreme situations is undoubtedly part of the charm of this film. It aligns with how Anderson approaches action sequences, major setpieces, or otherwise in his features. Despite his unique approach, at the end of the day, he’s a humanist filmmaker. Because of that, he puts the most weight on the interactions between his characters instead of loading his stories with ongoing and ill-fitting spectacle. That would take away from his carefully thought-out screenplays that twist and turn based on the dialogue exchanged more than anything.
This is another way of noting that Anderson continues to be a filmmaker I find quite inviting because of the relatable qualities buried within his carefully constructed features. Because the humor is rooted in old-fashioned wordplay, performance, and visual gags, it’s always dispiriting to see arguments against his work rooted in a presumption that he’s too intellectual. And don’t get me started on the AI-driven renderings of his supposed style applied to other brands, which seem to forget that autumnal colors and quirky costume choices are far from the only things that make Anderson’s films what they are. Again, he’s a very funny filmmaker who knows how to stand out, sure but doesn’t let that get in the way of how to tell a proper story.
Naturally, anyone with a natural aversion to his sense of humor will not necessarily be won over by his efforts. However, for me, especially in these recent years that have relied less upon major evolution as a filmmaker and more on just how well he can focus on specific interests and extrapolate by way of his current diorama-like approach to cinematic assembly, it’s been a joy to see what develops. With The Phoenician Scheme, there are some interesting ideas at play regarding the results of consumer capitalism, as well as what happens when someone who has only gained status through materialism has an epiphany. Making it all the more entertaining are the literal depictions of this epiphany and, of course, the large ensemble cast on hand to bounce lines off the ever-stalwart del Toro.
For my money, Benicio del Toro is currently one of our best-working actors. Yet, he largely exists as a supporting player and often plays quieter, stoic characters (often at his own request, as he believes in the “less is more” approach in many cases). Seeing him occupy a role that puts him on screen for nearly every scene, let alone constantly speaking, feels like a goal Anderson wanted to reach just to break the pattern. Still, it’s as effective as one hopes. Del Toro already rose to the occasion in one part of Anderson’s anthology film, The French Dispatch, but continues to shine here, offering deadpan reactions to danger, attempting to muster up feelings he can communicate to his daughter, and managing any other interactions as he sees fit.
Fortunately, this film has no shortage of other plays to balance out these exchanges. Threapleton is excellent as Korda’s daughter. Other usual suspects, including newer Anderson acolytes, such as Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, Willem Dafoe, and F. Murray Abraham, all deliver as needed. Those looking for the latest Bill Murray role in an Anderson film get a humorously fitting answer. Benedict Cumberbatch pops up late in the movie, and it’s hard not to laugh at just the sight of his character design.
With all of this in mind, I wanted to spotlight Michael Cera, who is new to the world of Anderson. His role as Bjørn Lund, an entomologist who gets caught up in this adventure, makes it feel like Cera has been working with Anderson for years. It’s a fun role, turning the film into a three-hander between him, del Toro, and Threapleton. Given the relationship Lund forms with Liesl, it also speaks to the father-daughter story at the heart of this film. Rather than trying to keep up with so many characters or work with an elaborate framing device, The Phoenician Scheme settles for character complexity between Korda and his daughter. This gives weight to the immediate characters in the vicinity while also forming ways to balance that angle with Korda’s own possible theological reassessment.
And still, none of this is ever too complex to handle. True to form, the film is very specifically designed in terms of the art direction, costumes, musical arrangements, and more. Anderson has his usual company of players, filmmakers, and other artists involved, which means the vision in mind has been put into place, and the results are impeccable. It’s a cinematic art exhibit of sorts, where observing a first time can be all well and good. Still, there’s likely plenty to gain by exploring what’s been assembled in subsequent viewings. Naturally, that doesn’t mean it takes multiple showings to “get it,” as the film is plenty entertaining as it stands. But oh, how much fun it must be to truly embrace a filmmaker’s vision that seems to at least somewhat subsist on knowing one can do more than just look at a painting once.
Being an unabashed fan of Anderson’s work, I again find myself impressed with what he’s delivered here. The Phoenician Scheme is a deadpan espionage comedy with a knack for making seemingly violent situations play out like prestige Looney Tunes cartoons. Meanwhile, he puts together elaborate sequences punctuated by the presence of classic art. He has characters walk all over them through witty banter, often upset by sudden insults or other ways to derive further laughter. This film knows it’s having fun and wants to share it with the audience. Going the extra mile in terms of style is just par for the course for an eccentric filmmaker confident enough to continually push forward.
The Phoenician Scheme opens in select theaters on May 30, 2025, expanding wide on June 6.
