La trama fenicia

Hi had a little trepidation heading to the cinema to see this because I was going with my younger sister who often rolls her eyes at the 'weird' films I suggest. Whilst Anderson isn't the quirkiest of filmmakers, he is definitely unique and extremely stylised with, in the best cases of his work: a dry(?) humour that I find very amusing, and a perfect dose of obscure that is wholly entertaining, and speaks of his creativity and clever mind.

At there worst, Wes Anderson films can feel like they are so busy trying to be 'out there' that they lose any tangible narrative or real direction, and, for me, are just decent images to look at for a while, but then abandon because there's only so long the aesthetically pleasing scenes can satiate me.

I also appreciate that Wes Anderson is a little marmitesque(!?!?!?), and understand some people will hate or have no time for his films. My sister is quite mainstream in her tastes so I would have chosen something else for us to watch together but we loathe comic book films, are too scared to watch horror, and Lilo and Stitch was only going to be viewed if it was in aid of entertaining the children!

So, after me triple checking she was sure she was happy to embrace the potential for uber quirkiness or, worse, being bored, we went.

I was pleasantly surprised. In fact I coukd have scared TPS an 8/10 even?! I was constantly engaged, chuckled throughout, loved watching the interactions and sets, plus actually really became attached and invested in the characters. I have since reassured my older sister (a wes Anderson fan who was disappointed in his previous couple of films), that The Phoenican Scheme is definitely a good, entertaining worthwhile watch that she'll probably really enjoy, too.

My little sister's reaction? "Yeah.....it was quite fun, but I couldn't keep my eyes open and did enjoy a nap, too"!! She seemed happy about this opportunity to have a snooze and rare time free from work, the constant demands of her children, and the exclusion of the possibility to 'get chores done'! So win win!?!!?) My.

In *The Phoenician Scheme*, Wes Anderson builds a world so meticulously crafted that even the dust motes drifting through the air seem to have their own symmetrical choreography. It's a film where mustard-yellow suits coexist with aquamarine deserts, where people say profound things in clipped, matter-of-fact sentences, and where a single teacup has more emotional depth than most blockbuster protagonists.

At the heart of the story is Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro), a businessman with the charisma of a bygone magician and the moral compass of a broken sundial. He survives assassination attempts with the grace of a man used to narrowly avoiding disaster, all while begrudgingly trying to connect with his daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton), a novice nun who prefers divine intervention to inheritance disputes. Their interactions are punctuated by perfectly centered compositions, pastel lighting, and the occasional slow-motion shot of someone adjusting their cufflinks.

Michael Cera plays a perpetually bewildered Norwegian secretary whose presence is largely unexplained but deeply appreciated. Riz Ahmed is a dignified prince with an affinity for maps, and Bill Murray-because of course Bill Murray is here-pops up as God, doling out cryptic advice in black-and-white sequences filmed like lost silent cinema reels.

The plot meanders in the way that Anderson's best work does, unfolding like a particularly elegant postcard collection-each frame its own tiny masterpiece, each line of dialogue its own dry, existential epiphany. Some critics argue it's more style than substance, but perhaps that's the point. Sometimes, life is just a beautifully arranged table setting before the inevitable chaos.

Verdict: If you've ever dreamed of living inside a diorama, *The Phoenician Scheme* is your kind of movie.

The Phoenician Scheme doesn't push Wes Anderson's usual tropes to the extreme like Asteroid City or The French Dispatch but it does end up doing just about everything you'd expect from one of his movies without any of the flair. The movie feels like it's on autopilot from the very first scenes and Anderson just ends up feeling like he's recycling his usual tropes to the effect of feeling so dull. I didn't hate this movie but I was amazed by how much of a chore it was to get through.

Anderson's last few movies have been criticised for disappearing too far into his own style but I personally enjoyed the unique experiences those movies provided. The French Dispatch is his magnum opus in my opinion and even if I thought Asteroid City was too overwhelming at times I still liked how much it left me to chew on but that's not the case here at all. The story was painfully uninteresting to me and it's told in the flattest, more linear way imaginable. It's essentially a series of business negotiations for nearly the entire runtime and not only do they feel insanely repetitive but they often drag on far longer than necessary.

I'm not really sure what Anderson's ultimate vision for this film because he doesn't really do anything behind the camera that we haven't seen from him before and his trademark humour really didn't work for me this time around. It's very deadpan with a lot of moments of quirkiness that just feel forced, it actually made me cringe more often than it didn't with the climax in particular feeling quite ridiculous. From a cinematography perspective it looks gorgeous and I really did feel like the performances were hitting the right notes but I just felt nothing. Most of the supporting characters just feel one noted and they end up feeling like quirks more than anything. Benicio Del Toro's character can be entertaining but he's just far too unlikable and never really felt like the script did much to redeem him by the time the film ends.

The Phoenician Scheme is disappointingly flat in almost every way and for whatever criticisms people might have with Anderson's recent offerings at least they had the energy that I thought was sorely missing here. It's not a particularly interesting story with characters that never really peaked my interest at all and the few interesting gimmicks Anderson does use feel like they've been done by him before and better. There's almost surprises technically and it really did end up feeling like Anderson was trying to make one of his own movies. Anderson is very hit and miss for me and I can honestly say that this movie felt like my least favourite aspects of all his work wrapped together in one package.

Things have taken an interesting turn with Wes' films since Grand Budapest and his films since have not been universally popular, with their more experimental structure splits and dream sequences. Like any other Wes film The Phoenician Scheme is utterly beautiful. Despite this being the first Anderson film not to benefit from the master camerawork of Robert Yeoman the style is still very familiar and the use of props and stunningly created wardrobe are as much stars of the film as the many A-listers who make an appearance, no matter how brief. The dry wit of Richard Ayoade, one of Britain's smartest comedians, and Michael Cera particularly stand out.

It's difficult not to see Benicio del Toro's empathy free, slave-owning, greedy oligarch character spawning children (mostly boys) with wives he has no relationship with as making some reference to some of today's real life characters, much like Isle of Dogs was used to make a subtle reference to the growing anti-immigration narrative when released around a decade ago, but like Isle of Dogs, the ending of the film leaves room for a positive interpretation of current turbulent times.

Purely because of the opening scene, The Phoenician Scheme is Wes Anderson's most violent film so far whilst retaining all the expected heart, humour and trademark visual style. Thanks to its main character's tight schedule the film has a really strong pace and it's almost able to sustain it for the entire run time, enhanced by a very consistent gag rate. It's a moving story of a father and daughter reconnecting that circles back to the level of warmth in Anderson's earlier work which has been missing from his most recent efforts.

Benicio Del Toro does wonderful work in the leading role by always remaining calm despite all the crazy shenanigans. Mia Threapleton is fantastic, her unwaveringly deadpan delivery becomes a constant highlight. It's genuinely great to see so many new faces from Anderson's more recent work continuing their collaborations with him. It's kinda crazy that this is Michael Cera's first time considering how good he is here, plus he's such a natural fit for everything Wes is going for.

Wes Anderson's direction plays squarely to his unique strengths in an endlessly entertaining fashion. It's just a steady stream of meticulously crafted, beautifully vibrant sequences where the movements in Bruno Delbonnel's cinematography matches the energy of the characters and Adam Stockhausen's production design never falters. As usual frequent collaborator Alexandre Desplat's score is exactly how the music for a film this distinct should sound.