Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

The Phoenician Scheme 

Wes Anderson has crafted one of his finest films in years! Now I think Wes Anderson has been doing a lot better recently since the French Dispatch as I was not a fan of that film whatsoever. When he did Astroid City back in 2023 I thought that was the step in the right direction and with his work now on his latest The Phoenician Scheme It feels like one of his strongest he has done in quite sometime. The film has a great set of characters that are worth investing into and leave a great impression on the audience that is memorable and the story itself has a great sense of heart and an amazing amount of emotion behind it as well. Wes Anderson gives a film that may not be his finest hour as a filmmaker but it is a film I can see myself revisiting due to the enjoyment I had with this picture. 

Firstly, This film to no surprise at all presents the film around family strains which a lot of Wes Anderson’s films are built around which is not an issue as it never feels repetitive of past films he has done he sure is revisiting a tone we are used to but is accessing it in a way that still feels fresh. The film takes on for the first time a father and daughter dynamic and I loved that take on the way he discusses family hardship through their relationship and the father is a business tycoon is constantly put in danger for his not so great reputation and is faced with putting his daughter to be the heir to his estate of who he has not met until he called upon her and we see how very different they are in terms of personality. The film also has a bit of touch of religion put into the film which is shown through the daughter’s perspective which is something Wes Anderson has never really taken the time to tackle in his films previously. The reason I had such a issue with the French Dispatch when I saw that film was it’s inability to get any of the characters to be remotely fleshed out where here their are 3 main characters we are constantly following along the entire way through and their is a progression of the character arcs for Benicio Del Toro, Mia Threapleton and Michael Cera whom all give tremendous performances in their own right due to the great writing at hand by Wes Anderson. The film discusses themes of family, legacy and a touch of religion I think it is the best character development I have seen from a Wes Anderson film since Isle Of Dogs which more people should seek out that is a terrific film but I do think this film’s strength lies within the characters and how greatly they get along and how likeable they are which is due in heavy part from the writing yes but also the great commitment from the cast of actors as well. The tone of this film is in a way still very much Wes Anderson style which has in a way become self parody at this point but he does it in a way that does not feel as indulgent. The writing and tone set for this specific story was among his best in quite sometime. 

Secondly, The performances from the cast are all so fun! Now the two people who give a good job is Benicio Del Toro who delivers one of his finest performances in years with his take on this eccentric businessman who is known to deceive people at any moment if it means he gets himself something out of it but also knows it is the best course of action for himself and his brand. Del Toro has a great sense of comedic timing he is known for doing more dramatic things which he is great in but seeing him deliver such dry wit worked so well here as he is able to be both funny but have a tinge of heart at the end of his dialogue delivery. I think he is a tremendous lead and I would love to see him in more dry comedies like this as it suits him well we saw what he was capable of within a more lighter setting with the French Dispatch and here he is on full display giving a terrific leading performance of a father that is a man of secrets but longs for human connection and the way Del Toro is able to show that onscreen was so so entertaining and very touching overall a truly fun performance adding another great performance to his great body of work. Then you have Michael Cera who you would of thought would of been in one of Wes Anderson’s films long ago due to his specific comedic timing which works for Anderson’s films as this man has built a career from deadpan humour and the fun awkward characters he has perfected to a freaking T he is magnificent in this film! He plays this eccentric tutor that is thrust into the action and has this childlike innocence to him and he knows exactly when to inject that fish out of water charm to the scene to really make it stand out he is someone that is for sure one of the strongest parts of the film in terms of performance and he gives such a loveable performance of this endearing character in a witty and fun performance that was tailor made to his strengths. Then we have the big standout of the film that is my personal favourite which is Mia Threapleton who gives in my opinion the finest work in the entire film! She plays this young woman who devotes her life to the church in wanting to be a nun and at the same time is also trying to sort out her relationship with her estranged father and the longer she hangs around him the more his charm rubs off on her and she cant help but feel the need to develop their relationship more since she was robbed of it at such a young age. Mia soars in this film with no prior acting experience she is a natural on the screen holding her own next to Michael Cera and Oscar winner Benicio Del Toro is no easy feat and she is able to dig deep into the depths of who this character is and fully flesh out where her heart lies in this amazing turn that is for sure to be a massive accomplishment for her career. I cannot wait to see what she does next as her work on this film was truly spectacular. Each actor did a great job and in like most Wes Anderson fashion he brings his friends along to each film he does the cast is huge and even if some actors only have a scene they make the most of what is given to shine with the material they are given to work with their is no weak link in this film.

Lastly, The Phoenician Scheme is one of Wes Anderson’s strongest films character and plot wise I have seen in quite some time! Benicio Del Toro is a powerhouse giving a terrific leading performance that showcases his comedic timing in a way we have not seen before, Michael Cera finally gets to make his mark on Wes Anderson film and he is perfectly fit for the zany world he always paints it is mind-blowing he has never been in one up until now and Mia Threapleton gives a damn great breakout performance that is among one of my favourites of the year. This film has an over the top premise that is so fun with a ton of laughs so much heart and characters that you will fall in love with in minutes of them being onscreen. This film finally shows the family dynamic through the lens of a father daughter relationship and the way it is tackled is so so good. The Phoenician Scheme is so much fun to be had this is a Wes Anderson film I will find myself revisiting more then once for sure I also recommend people who are fans of his work and are just fans of great comedies mixed with dramatic depth seek this film out as June is a big month for film and this one I fear will get lost among the shuffle of films. 

This film centres on a business Tycoon that has to confront a bunch of business associates and get work done before he Is taken out at the same time rework his relationship with his daughter whom he wants to leave his family fortune to

Rated PG - 13 : Smoking Throughout|Nude Images|Bloody Images|Some Sexual Material|Violent Content

Mia Threapleton : Mia gives a truly outstanding breakout performance that is destined to make her a huge star! Now I have mentioned this a few times now because she has had only one other film in terms of prior acting work before this film and wow does she do an incredible job onscreen that comes across like she has been doing this for years. She plays this practicing Nun that hopes to work herself further into the church and devote herself fully to her practice but she has been summoned by her father to take over his estate in case something is to happen to him which for her she Is so curious why out of all this time he has picked now to finally form a bond with her. The way Mia Presents this character onscreen was so great as she has a dry sense of amusement on her face at all times throughout he film and it is In part due to not wanting to be associated with her dad’s schemes and also because she is so guarded after so many years of him not bring present in her life. She is very serious of devoting her life to the church and her father constantly questions why she has become such a devote to the practice of Faith and their is a line in the film where she utters it is about devotion and essentially staying loyal to a practice. He sees that as a massive thing for him as in his line of work loyalty is a big thing for him. We see that she again keeps a lot to herself and as the film progresses and they spend more time with one another that shield of emotional guard just veers itself down and we see her talk more and she isn’t as stern and you can see her curiosity peaking into why her father is the way he is. We see their relationship blossom in a way that is benefiting for him sure but massively improves her heartache of not having a father in her life for such a long period. The way Mia is able to show the depth and complexity of this character was so well presented as she in the first half like mentioned has this dry short wit to her that comes across in a dramatic fashion but has this certain comedic landing to the way she delivers the lines that is a perfect blend of humour and dramatic weight all at once. You can see the pain in her eyes early on and as the film furthers we see her becoming softer and letting her emotions be more on display and she just seems like such perfect fit for a Wes Anderson film you would of thought she had been doing this for ages. She is also curious to know how her mother perished which is another reason why she embarked on this journey with her dad to begin with to get closure over the family tragedy that has been itching the back of her brain for years and Mia Therapleton delivers a performance that at points had me laughing greatly due to her great timing of her humour that again is a result of her dry delivery that both can be taken as dramatic or comedy she walks a fine line between that and she also has such a great eye for letting her outer emotions speak for itself their is a ton she is saying at times without having to say a word and it is amazingly well tapped into onscreen. She also has great chemistry with Benicio Del Toro as they really make you believe their father daughter dynamic and they gell so well together I cannot wait to see what the future holds for Mia as if this film was an indicator of her talents her future is bright for sure her performance is amazing and she gives a knockout turn that is among one of my favourite Wes Anderson characters to ever grace the screen.

Wes Anderson : Wes gives one of his strongest narratives in quite sometime! Now as previously mentioned Wes is no stranger to the themes of family estrangement and here he taps into it from the father daughter relationship which he never really has explored before. The film also operates in a few ways like a mystery film as their are constant attempts on the main character’s life but we never figure out who is behind that until the last few minutes of the film so I liked that element to the story that we had not seen from any of his prior films which was very refreshing on top of the way he was able to capture the family themes without it feeling overly exhausted at this point. He again assembles the many collaborators he is known for working with on his projects and the list of A listers just grows longer and here the film is all about a father wanting his daughter to trust him again while also ensuring his family legacy is in order. The issue I had with the French Dispatch was that he had not much character development from any of the great actors onscreen so their was no attachment for me to have to any of them which made them very forgettable by the final frame of the picture. Then in 2023 he made the film Astroid City which is his commentary on a husband mourning the loss of his wife and is heavily about grief. Here the film’s overarching theme is about yes the daughter dad dynamic and her hesitating to trust him again after so long and this is the first character driven film I have seen from him in a while as the 3 main actors play characters that leave a great impression on the audience that  by the end of the film you are well invested into their individual arcs they set out on. He does not capture the magic of Fantastic Mr Fox or The Royal Tenenbaums but he isn’t trying to do that either he is just trying to tell a great well rounded story With yes fun characters and themes with a touching message for the audience to get behind which I think he does exceptionally well at achieving. The film also discusses themes of religion as well which at this point in his career I am surprised he has decided to tap into but I love the curiosity he has about it and is able to explore that through the daughter the film is so much fun and I enjoyed his signature style once again and I will admit this is among some of the best character work I have seen from him In at least 7 years as a lot of hi recent films have been very flashy but not much work in terms of character which this film thankfully does not have that issue with. Wes Anderson finally after years is putting the characters first and style second which has been a big issue of his as I mentioned as of recent. Overall I love the heart and fun antics the characters get into all while telling a touching story about a father just wanting to reconnect with his daughter. The great thing about Wes Anderson is even though he may get lost among the style the heart never gets lost and here it is more front and centre and I love that overall another well done directed film by Wes Anderson once again with some of his most memorable characters that are destined to become fan favourites.