Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Asteroid City review says that Wes Anderson fans will go gaga over the film with the mega-watt cast and the low-key delivery. 

If you like director Wes Anderson’s quirky style, you’ll love this pastel-colored, nuclear age tale set in 1955, with a cast that includes practically everyone who’s anyone, except my giant white Labradoodle Frankie Feldman (who is still tweaked about not being cast in Anderson’s Isle of Dogs).

Count me among Anderson’s biggest fans. His bone dry, monotone delivery is not for everyone, but for those who are game to go with his flow, Asteroid City is a real treat.

The cast alone is enough to blow you away—Scarlett Johannson, Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie, Jason Schwartzman, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Ed Norton, Adrian Brody, Willem Dafoe, Hong Chau, Liev Shrieber, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Jeff Goldbloom—even Colin Jost has a cameo.

Be forewarned, in typical Anderson fashion, all of them are pretty much speaking in monotone. That’s one of the things you either love or hate about the director.

The story is a play within a play within a movie, about a diverse group of people quarantined in a small dessert town after an alien in a space ship comes down and steals the community’s signature asteroid. I’ll leave any more details to delightfully unfold before your very ideas.

The somewhat slow pacing of the film leaves you plenty of time to take in all the seemingly random details in every scene: a dog cavorting in the background, a roadrunner that actually says “meep meep,” a motel office that looks like it’s built of Fruity Pebbles—and this is but a small fraction of the wild and wonderful details that could pass you by if you’re not paying full attention.

There are myriad reasons why such an abundance of prominent A-listers are eager to sign on to be in Anderson’s quirky films. Among them, the unique opportunity to be part of something original and creative, unlike anyone else’s work. Being absorbed in that is also one of the many perks for Asteroid City viewers.

Rated PG-13

1 hour 44 minutes

If this Asteroid City review makes you want to hop in your spaceship and fly on over to your local cineplex, get times and tickets at Fandango.com.

Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Asteroid City review says that Wes Anderson fans will go gaga over the film with the mega-watt cast and the low-key delivery.