Fans of filmmaker Wes Anderson were pleasantly surprised by one thing following the release of The Phoenician Scheme trailer.
The film boasts a typically all-star cast including Benicio Del Toro, Bryan Cranston, and Tom Hanks. The espionage black comedy will premiere at Cannes Film Festival later this year and receive a wider release at the end of May. But fans are already delighted with the film having seen one actor in particular they say is the perfect fit for Anderson’s style. Fans have already praised The Phoenician Scheme for the “simple pastiche” which the film has created, blurring, as one fan suggested, The Life Acquatic of Steve Zissou with The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Another fan has suggested it is a surprise to see one actor appear, more because of how long it took for them to show up in an Anderson project than anything. The Phoenician Scheme will feature frequent Anderson collaborators Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, and Mathieu Amalric. Also featured are newcomers to his movies Mia Threapleton and Charlotte Gainsbourg.
A post to the r/WesAnderson subreddit had fans praising one newcomer in particular, saying his style of work blurs perfectly with Anderson’s style. One user wrote: “The Wesandersonification of Michael Cera! I’m living!” Another added: “I’m sort of surprised it took this long for him to show up in a Wes Anderson film.”
A third wrote: “I can already tell I’m going to love his character. Every time he opened his mouth I smiled. Michael Cera is so funny.” Other users have since praised Cera’s acting skills and say he will be the perfect fit for the upcoming Anderson project.
Another added: “Michael Cera was born for this role! The elevator scene was the best part. I cannot wait!!!!” Not everyone was a fan of the movie’s direction, though, and some found Anderson was adapting a “two dimensional” feel to his films.
They wrote: “This feels like a sequel to Asteroid City, where the two-dimensional sets and composition are almost like another character in the movie. I struggle with this direction Wes seems to be adopting.
“As a life-long fan, I must admit Asteroid City and much of the accompanying shorts went right over me, and also The French Dispatch to a certain extent – these feel more like a theatre play than movies to me, and I fail to understand what makes this new approach so beloved amongst some die-hard fans out there.
“I’ll watch and like it, after all, it’s Wes, and Wes was all there was for many years of my life and my debt to him and what he added to my life is immeasurable, but I’ll yet again miss what’s special about this approach.”
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