Asteroid City
Movie, 2023, The 2020s, Set in A desert town, 1955
Asteroid City is #11 of 13 in release order and #11 of 13 in chronological order in the Wes Anderson.
The story
In an American desert town circa 1955, the itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.
Asteroid City recap
Asteroid City (2023) follows a widowed war photographer and his children stranded at a desert stargazing convention in 1955 when an alien lands. Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman) has not yet told his son Woodrow (Jake Ryan) and three daughters that their mother has died; his father-in-law Stanley Zak (Tom Hanks) presses him to. Woodrow is one of several teenage prize winners, along with Dinah, daughter of the film star Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson), whom Augie begins talking to through their cabin windows. On the first night a spaceship appears and its passenger steals the town's meteorite, so General Grif Gibson (Jeffrey Wright) quarantines everyone. All of this is framed as a stage play, and black-and-white scenes follow its playwright Conrad Earp (Edward Norton), director Schubert Green (Adrien Brody) and a TV host (Bryan Cranston). Wes Anderson directs from a story with Roman Coppola. His eleventh feature, it follows The French Dispatch.
Asteroid City ending explained
Asteroid City ends with the quarantine lifted and the Steenbecks driving away. The alien returns the meteorite, the general reimposes the quarantine, and the teenagers use their inventions to lead a revolt. The next morning everyone has left; Stanley lets the girls bury their mother's ashes in town, and Midge has left Augie her address. In the frame story, the actor playing Augie walks offstage mid-show asking what the play means and is told to keep telling the story. The host reports that Earp died in a car crash six months into the run.
Post-credits scenes
No. Asteroid City has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Asteroid City
Asteroid City is streaming on Peacock in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 6.4/10, Rotten Tomatoes 76%
Where it fits
- Release order: after The French Dispatch, before The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.
- Chronological order: after The French Dispatch, before The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.
Cast
- Jason Schwartzman as Augie Steenbeck
- Scarlett Johansson as Midge Campbell
- Tom Hanks as Stanley Zak
- Jeffrey Wright as General Gibson
- Tilda Swinton as Dr. Hickenlooper
- Bryan Cranston as The Host
- Edward Norton as Conrad Earp
- Adrien Brody as Schubert Green
- Liev Schreiber as J.J. Kellogg
- Hope Davis as Sandy Borden
- Steve Park as Roger Cho
- Rupert Friend as Montana
Directed by Wes Anderson.