The host of a documentary (Bryan Cranston) discusses with writer Conrad Earp (Edward Norton) the creation of his play “Asteroid City”. The play takes place in the fictional town of Asteroid City, located near an atomic test site in the American desert, population 87.
Every year Asteroid City hosts a three-day event to honor and celebrate the arrival of a meteorite that crashed into the desert in 3007 BC. The city was created near where the meteorite landed. The event attracts people from all over the United States. This year the event draws Junior Stargazers and Space enthusiasts where they participate in a convention and science fair showing off their various scientific inventions for awards and prizes.
Among the visitors are Woodrow (Jake Ryan), accompanied by his father, Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman), a war photographic journalist. With them are Augie’s three daughters, Andromeda (Ella Faris), Pandora (Gracie Faris), and Cassiopeia (Willan Faris), along with the ashes of Augie’s wife, who passed away a few weeks ago. Augie’s father-in-law, Stanley Zak (Tom Hanks) arrives sometime later. In addition, there are several other teenage stargazers with their parents. Also showing up are a schoolteacher, June (Maya Hawke) with ten of her very young students.
The three days of celebration includes speeches, fireworks, a tour of a newly renovated observatory, a picnic and the viewing of an astronomical ellipses taking place during the celebration. During the viewing of the ellipses a green glowing UFO shows up over the site of the meteorite strike. An alien descends from the ship. It takes the “asteroid” and leaves. The armed forces show up and quarantine the city. The students that were participating in the science fair decide that news of the alien must be delivered to the world, so they leak information about the alien to the press. The military is powerless when the site is swarmed with tourists.
“Asteroid City” was released in 2023 and was written and directed by Wes Anderson. It is an American science fiction comedy.
It’s really mostly a visual film full of color saturation and retro elements. There are three parts to the film that are intertwined, the writing of the play, the play and the documentary about the creating of the play. The play takes place in the fictional town of Asteroid City. The scenes that take place in the play are colored. The ones for the documentary and the creation of the play are in black and white. Everything is delivered with a deadpan monotone, as if the entire movie was one soliloquy after another. The film jumps from one scene to another and from one plotline to another. All of it is punctuated with a cast of stars, a lot of them in cameos. It’s a strange film. The plot is a bit flat, but it somehow adds to the surrealism of the film.
Many of the main actors have duo roles. They play actors that are acting in the play as well as playing characters actually in the play. Character Augie Steenbeck’s three daughters are played by real life triplets, Ella Gracie and Willan Faris. Jeff Goldblum has a cameo as the alien-in-costume during the documentary aspect of the film.
Bill Murray was originally supposed to be the manager of the motel but had to drop out when he contracted COVID. He was replaced by Steve Carell. Murray was still used in a trailer for the film.