'The Phoenician Scheme' Review

Wes Anderson doesn't quite find God, but perhaps he's looking

Set in the year 1950, within a semi-fictional mid-eastern European country of Phonecia, The Phoenician Scheme, tells the story of famed industrialist and arms-dealer Zsa-Zsa Korda (played by Benicio Del Toro). After surviving his yet another assassination attempt that resulted in his sixth plane crash, Korda makes the decision to name his estranged daughter Liesl (played by newcomer Mia Threapleton), a Catholic novitiate preparing to take her vows, as the sole heir to his fortune and industrial empire, despite also having nine sons. However, governments around the world have conspired to bring his empire down, by raising the price of building materials. Korda must then travel to meet with his investors in order to convince them to cover the costs, so that he can complete his overhaul of Phonecia’s infrastructure. And so, joined by Liesl and his new administrative assistant Bjorn, (played by Michael Cera) what follows are a series of misadventures as Korda tries to swindle everyone into more than they initially agreed upon, continue to evade the not so mysterious attempts on his life, and just maybe mend his relationship with his daughter along the way.

If you are at all familiar with Wes Anderson’s body of work, you may have thought that a few aspects of that summary sounded somewhat familiar. And if I were to describe this movie in one word, familiar would be an apt word to choose. Almost every one of his films have featured some kind of strained parental relationship, mixed in with an elaborate plot. He’s not exactly treading any new ground here, but I found that to be comforting. His last two features left me somewhat underwhelmed as I never could grasp what The French Dispatch was really about and found it ultimately forgettable, and Asteroid City’s needlessly complicated Russian nesting doll of a framing device, bogged down the story in a way that frustrated me.

However, with The Phoenician Scheme, Anderson puts forth a very straightforward caper that provides that deadpan humor and heartwarming family drama that we have come to expect from him. I would say this is a return to form, but his form is so specific that I can’t say he ever left it. A better description would be a solid base hit. He has a couple of misses with his last two films, but he landed a hit with this one. It’s not his best work, but it’s still endlessly entertaining. This is mostly due to the fact that this is an outright comedy film.

Wes Anderson films have always towed the line between making you able to laugh and able to cry, sometimes at the same time. This is best exemplified in something like The Grand Budapest Hotel, where we are treated to scene after scene of quirky, witty banter and hilarious slapstick, but not until the final moments do we realize that the fictional country that the film takes place in was being overtaken by Fascism the whole time and the storyteller explains how most of the main characters die. It’s a rather melancholic ending to an otherwise hilarious movie, as it reveals itself to be a bittersweet tragedy. The story told in Phoenician Scheme however, is simply an age old tale of how money cannot buy happiness and offering love to your family is the best thing you can do in life, leading to a happy ending firmly places this in the comedy genre. Something about the way Anderson’s characters deliver their lines, mixed with the rhythm of the dialogue and the absurdity of what’s actually being is able to make me laugh so easily. The running gag of Korda telling every person he meets to “help yourself to a hand grenade” as a sort of peace offering and every single one of them responding “you’re very kind” is just one of the many examples of this.

It also goes without saying that the production design on display here is immaculate. The symmetrical shots showing off the stagey practical sets, may have made some people grow tired of his style, but as I said, the familiarity felt comforting. On top of that, everyone’s performance was excellent from start to finish. Wes Anderson stated that he wrote this was Benicio del Toro in mind, after they worked together in The French Dispatch, and perfectly portrays that journey from a tycoon oblivious to all of his many faults, to finally growing a conscience, and realizing the error of his ways, mostly through coming to love his daughter, but also through a series of visions of being judged before heaven that happen every time he passes out, which is quite oftern due to all the assassination attempts. Mia Threapleton joins the likes of Jason Schwartzman and Tony Revolori as the young star to have their breakout role in a Wes Anderson film. She plays off of Del Toro like a seasoned pro and acts as his conscience throughout, while simultaneously questioning where her true vocation lies. Rounding out the main trio is Michael Cera’s Bjorn, who you might assume has definitely worked with Anderson before, but in actuality this would be their first time, and he fits this role like a glove. But because this is a Wes Anderson film, we must have over a dozen A-list actors having the time of their lives in just a cameo role or in one to two scenes. To name only some of them, there is Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright and Scarlet Johansson as Korda’s investors. Benedict Cumberbatch as the evil Uncle Nubar. Willem Dafoe as Korda’s heavenly defense attorney, and Bill Murray as God. Yes, you read that correctly.

All in all The Phoenician Scheme proves to be a wonderful time at the cinema. A meticulously crafted caper, full of whimsical humor and heartfelt drama. I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of Anderson’s style, as you will find all of his tricks on full display here. But I would also recommend to those who are unfamiliar. If you’ve never seen one of his films, but are curious as to what this man’s deal is, and are looking for a great time at the theater, give this movie a watch.