‘The Phoenician Scheme’ review: A great entry point for newer fans of Wes Anderson’s vibe
4.5/5 bathtubs
Wes Anderson’s entire deal has become a topic of conversation among film fans. When you watch his films on a superficial level, it feels like a schtick but The Phoenician Scheme shows how brilliantly he can weave his aesthetic with a captivating story.
Some of Anderson’s work is so emotionally charged under the surface that I find myself broken by the end (but a good kind of broken). With The Phoenician Scheme, I was more interested in the humor that Benicio del Toro brought to the role of Zsa-Zsa, a very rich and important man who is actively being hunted by someone and he’s not quite sure who.
He’s quirky, loves to fight, and is almost always bleeding from some cut that he’s gotten from his latest assassination thwarting. But what I find so mesmerizing about del Toro’s performance is that he falls easily into Anderson’s world and yet brings a new kind of energy to what we’ve come to know from Anderson.
Whether it be the story itself or del Toro’s rougher approach to Zsa-Zsa but this all felt like fresh new territory for Anderson as a filmmaker. But I also think it is a beautiful way to understand why Anderson’s “aesthetic” works. So if you never “got” his stuff, I do think that The Phoenician Scheme is a great way of understanding why so many of us love his work.
But for all the Anderson-isms that The Phoenician Scheme has, it is the overall story and journey with Zsa-Zsa, Liesel (Mia Threápleton), and Bjorn (Michael Cera) that makes this more than just a surface level story but instead one that has that Anderson charm.
A story about finding companionship
At the start of the film, Liesel returns to her father’s home after being separated for years. Zsa-Zsa tells her about the failed assassination but he is clearly shook by the attempt. So he wants to name Liesel as his heir as she is his only daughter and he doesn’t want to leave everything to his 10 sons. And throughout the movie, we’re taken on a journey of Liesel and Zsa-Zsa reconnecting, both trying to balance their stance on religion, and what it means to work together.
Zsa-Zsa is trying to get the money he needs for his “Phoenician Scheme” and in order to do that, he has to go to each party to make sure the amount of money is set. All while trying to not be assassinated. Through bombs on the plane, Zsa-Zsa offering each party a complimentary hand grenade, and his need to have his daughter love him, you end up charmed by their relationship. Throw in Bjorn just sitting in the background of scenes and the film as a whole is one of Anderson’s funnier pieces of work.
To me, this is the most “Wes Anderson”-y that the director has been in a while. It is all about the lines and the picturesque shots and that allows you to laugh when the movie begins to have a little bit of fun. But one thing is very clear: I need Benicio del Toro in more of Anderson’s films.
(featured image: Focus Features)
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