Wes Anderson is Back with ‘The Phoenician Scheme’

Benicio Del Toro, Mia Threapleton, and Michael Cera in The Phoenician Scheme | Credit: Focus Features

Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio Del Toro) is a wealthy businessman with a knack for escaping death. Following his most recent near-death experience, he seeks to appoint an heir (on a probationary basis), his daughter, Liesl (Mia Threapleton), a nun. These two go on a series of adventures as they attempt to close a tenuous business deal.

As with so many of his films, I feel like if you’re a fan of Wes Anderson, then you’ll probably enjoy this film. If you aren’t a fan of his, then this might be one for you to skip. While I don’t think this is his best work, it’s still a ton of whimsical fun, and I can’t wait to watch this one again. There are so many elements that show Anderson working within his wonderfully creative wheelhouse—the color scheme, beautiful framing, quirky characters, a strange premise, and a fantastic collection of his frequent collaborators.

I’m not going to lie, as excited as I was about this film, I also wondered if it would work. Would the nun schtick be too much? Would Michael Cera and Benicio Del Toro work together?

I’m pleased that my initial reservations were unfounded. Instead, Liesl’s religion is an important part of the plot, in addition to being a consistent source of humor and character tension. And I was thrilled to find out that Cera and Del Toro work really well together. I wouldn’t have ever imagined them complementing each other, but they do in this film.

Mia Threapleton also gives a fantastic performance as Liesl and is a large part of why this film works so well. Liesl’s introduction into Korda’s world is a wild departure from everything that she’s seen and experienced before. Each new situation and encounter gives her an opportunity to examine what she believes and reconsider how she shows up in the world. You see her changing in large and subtle ways throughout the film, and you see the wrestling that Liesl is going through. She also provides a wonderful foil to her father, Korda, with each influencing the other.

This father/daughter relationship that develops in fits and starts, with each feeling out the other (it is a trial basis, after all) to see if they are trustworthy, is the heart of this film. At each leg of the journey, they reveal more about themselves to the other, becoming more and more vulnerable as time goes on. You watch as their hard shells begin to break and the other is welcomed deeper into their world. Of course, this is done through Wes Anderson’s lens, which means that the emotional depth and affection are conveyed through dry lines and quick flashes of emotion, but it is there nonetheless.

And I ate it up.

Benicio Del Toro in The Phoenician Scheme | Credit: Focus Features

While the film spends most of its time with Korda and Liesl, they go on a journey that causes them to cross paths with many other colorful characters. Each of these instances is so fantastical and brings a unique dimension to an already eclectic film.

Probably my favorite moment in this film is when Korda is negotiating with Leland (Tom Hanks) and Reagan (Bryan Cranston) over a deal that Korda has been fiddling with, unexpectedly changing the terms. Korda then proposes a way for them to settle this dispute. These are all older businessmen, so I was expecting some sort of ridiculous wager involving something like cards or dominoes. I did not expect them to pull down a basketball hoop at the back of the train they were traveling on and begin doing trick shots. We learn that Leland and Reagan are masters on the court (of course), whereas Korda is a terrible shot, and Prince Farouk (Riz Ahmed) has never played basketball before.

This delightful scene goes on for quite some time. You see Leland and Reagan naming their shots and executing them perfectly. Korda and Farouk keep missing, which is hilarious and also a source of some tension. These shots are all happening while Liesl and Bjorn (Cera) are conversing inside the train, with each errant shot hitting the train car, but somehow not fazing either of them.

I think that scene is such a wonderful example of the magic that Wes Anderson can create. It’s an unexpected premise, funny characters, and each shot is framed perfectly to bring the maximum impact. The dialogue is witty and filled with wonderfully dry humor, and the stakes are ever-present as the game continues.

What’s not to love?

Benicio Del Toro and Mia Threapleton in The Phoenician Scheme | Credit: Focus Features

The Phoenician Scheme really worked for me, but I know that it’s not for everyone. For those who really enjoy Wes Anderson, it’s a joy to be back into a world of his own creation. This film is divided into different parts—every aspect divided into meticulously designed shoeboxes—as Liesl and Korda attempt to finalize this agreement. But it’s also about a long-lost father/daughter duo getting to know each other. It’s about these characters learning to find the emotional connection that they have been starved of. And it’s also about our beliefs and how they shape how we show up in the world.

It’s a beautifully and meticulously constructed film that is also full of humor and emotional depth. And it’s one that I can’t wait to revisit again.