The Phoenician Scheme
After wealthy capitalist entrepreneur Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio Del Toro) survives his sixth plane crash, one of many assassination attempts on his life, he makes a surprise choice of heir to his business, sidelining his nine sons in favor of his only daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton, Kate Winslet's daughter), a Catholic noviatiate who insists there be no slavery, famine or family dormitory involved before she will assist in "The Phoenician Scheme."
Laura's Review: B
Cowriter (with his "Isle of Dogs" and "Asteroid City" collaborator Roman Coppola)/director Wes Anderson takes jabs at Capitalism, absentee fathers and Catholic hypocrisy within his latest dollhouse construct where an elaborate global business deal is his extensive ensemble's playground. The plot is more framework for gags than the weightier considerations of his last film and is most notable for the inspired addition of Anderson newbie Michael Cera and Benedict Cumberbatch's crazed channeling of the mad monk Rasputin as Korda's brother Uncle Nubar.
Anderson kicks off with a static interior shot of a private plane, Korda reading the first of his regular sized but coffee-table themed books, his Administrative Secretary (Truman Hanks) sitting in the last row. That unfortunate man will be ripped in half when an explosion tears a hole in the plane and the pilot (Stephen Park) ejected from the cockpit when Korda fires him, taking over the controls to crash land in a cornfield. A consortium of international businessmen led by Excalibur (Rupert Friend) have gathered to thwart the man's plans, which Korda will reveal to Liesl all stored in neatly marked shoe, shirt and sock boxes as Liesl's nine brothers (Edward Hyland, Kit Rakusen, Milo James, Ogden Dawson, Hector Bateman-Harden, Benjamin Lake, Gunes Taner, Gabriel Ryan and Momo Ramadan), a mix of blood and adopted relations Korda's assembled to play the odds, watch from an overhead balcony. One will attempt to destroy dad's plans by firing a flaming arrow from a crossbow, one of many repetitive gags. Liesl will be hooked into the scheme by the promise of meeting Uncle Nubar, who Korda suspects of murdering her mother. Also present is the boys' tutor Bjorn (Michael Cera), an insect specialist who is chastised for allowing his praying mantis onto the dinner table before being deputized as Korda's new secretary.
And so Zsa-zsa, Liesl and Bjorn will begin a multi-legged business trip, each stop intended to close a gap to finance Korda's infrastructure project. They will first team with Prince Farouk (Riz Ahmed) to cut a deal with Leland (Tom Hanks) and Reagan (Bryan Cranston) whose American origin is flagged with a Coke and Hershey bar, Korda challenging them to a basketball shootout to close their deal, a sport he and Farouk are vastly outclassed in, but not before each side engages in trying to outshout the other while Bjorn convinces teetotaler Liesl to try a beer. This basic premise is repeated with Marseille Bob (Mathieu Amalric), whose nightclub is shot up by a Robin Hood-minded terrorist group led by Sergio (Richard Ayoade) as Liesl advances to champagne cocktails; with Marty (Jeffrey Wright) who negotiates while giving Korda a blood transfusion from the bullet wound acquired at the last stop; and with Cousin Hilda (Scarlett Johansson in amusingly unflattering shorts and sandals), the most unyielding, bribed with a wedding ring. And the assassins keep on coming, Korda recognizing most as prior employees before making heavenly jaunts to bargain with a Knave (Willem Dafoe), a Prophet (F. Murray Abraham) and Liesl's mother (Charlotte Gainsbourg as the first of Korda's three wives). After the last plane crash reveals Bjorn's secret identity (a complete transformation accomplished by Cera simply turning around, the film's high point), the young man smitten with Liesl will dive into quicksand to rescue Korda as the man bargains with God (Bill Murray).
The cast indulges in Anderson's preferred deadpan staccato dialogue delivery, Korda greeting each potential business partner with 'Help yourself to a hand grenade' and announcing 'Myself, I feel very safe' before each ensuing catastrophe. Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel ("Amélie," "The Tragedy of Macbeth") upholds the Anderson style of static, tracking and overhead shots while also shaking things up by filming the celestial sequences in black and white and using the camera's POV during one-on-one tussles, most prominently when Uncle Nubar goes all feral on Zsa-zsa. Production designer Adam Stockhausen ("Asteroid City," "The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar") once again proves invaluable creating spaces retro and exotic along with a model of the titular project. Costume design and makeup, especially Liesl's blue eyeshadow, red lips and nails, define character and bolster Anderson's themes. Alexandre Desplat's ("The French Dispatch," "Asteroid City") score adds drama and grandeur.
"The Phoenician Scheme" ties itself into knots with too much plotting supporting a relatively straightforward redemption story. This is a movie whose pleasures are found in eccentric performances, throwaway details and repeated gags, but Michael Cera's transformation from a buttoned-up Scandanavian entomologist to suave American spy is not only reason enough to see the film, but should be remembered at year's end.
Focus Features releases "The Phoenician Scheme" in select theaters on 5/30/25, wide on 6/6/25.
