Wes Anderson (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) directs his script co-written with Roman Coppola about shady international businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio Del Toro), whose many enemies are constantly trying to assassinate him. Believing his death may be imminent, he decides to make his novitiate nun daughter, Liesl (Mia Threapleton), his sole heir and directs her in carrying out his most audacious project yet. (101 min.)
Glen I love Wes Anderson’s films—every one of them, including this one—but the marketing campaign is claiming this is Anderson’s funniest film yet. It’s not. It is, however, classic Wes Anderson with his signature quirky flawed characters, A-list ensemble cast, distinctive color palette, and emotional resonance. Zsa-zsa is immoral, his daughter doesn’t have much of a relationship with him, but he fascinates her, and in the hopes of curtailing some of his baser instincts—using slave labor for some of his projects, for instance—Liesl decides to accompany him as he lies to and finagles his business partners into covering “the gap,” a funding shortfall in his big project that will create a revenue stream lasting 150 years. Anderson’s characters are often dreamers, and Zsa-zsa dreams big.
Anna I hadn’t heard the billing of this as Anderson’s “funniest film,” and I’ll agree that it didn’t strike me as particularly laugh-out-loud funny, but that isn’t to say it wasn’t a total delight to watch. There’s something pretty impressive about Anderson being able to have such specific stylization that works throughout so many movies, this one included. You go in knowing what to expect—meticulously thought-out sets and costuming, a banger of a cast, and quirky characters all around. While the storyline always moves things along, my motivation for watching Anderson’s movies on repeat is the absolute richness of the sets, often resembling a sort of stage production. I can’t say it has won my heart as my favorite Anderson film, but I’m certainly glad to have seen it.
Glen I’d watch it again. Michael Cera stars as Bjorn Lund, a Norwegian entomologist who becomes Zsa-zsa’s administrative assistant and who falls for Liesl. Tom Hanks and Bryan Cranston turn up as American business partners Leland and Reagan. Scarlett Johansson stars as Zsa-zsa’s cousin Hilda Sussman-Korda. Bill Murray stars as God in Zsa-zsa’s afterlife dreams. Riz Ahmed, Mathieu Amalric, Jeffrey Wright, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Willem Dafoe, F. Murray Abraham—the cast is straight-up amazing. The story is cleverly told as Zsa-zsa maneuvers to hold his audacious plan together. Satirizing capitalism and corruption, power, and moral irresponsibility, The Phoenician Scheme holds a mirror to human failings while exploring the meaning of family ties. If you don’t already love Anderson, this probably won’t win you over, but for fans, this hits the spot.
Anna His films are always a welcome treat. They’re funny and clever and quick-witted. Zsa-zsa has nearly died so many times that his mortality is actually starting to seep in. He’s got to win over Liesl, and while it’s touch-and-go for a bit, he eventually does. Cera as lovestruck Bjorn is great: charming and dorky, and his character takes us on some fun twists. I look forward to watching this again when it streams, but it’s definitely worth the price of admission to see on the big screen. Δ
Arts Editor Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Split Screen. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jun 12-22, 2025.