After putting together my Man Candy Monday post about Jason Schwartzman last week, I decided to sit down and watch Asteroid City (2023), his most recent collaboration with director Wes Anderson. The film is a play-within-a-film … or is that a film-within-a-play …? It’s basically told in two different realities: The “film” that we are all watching, which is a staging of the play as though it were a film, and the backstage scenes from the actual play involving the actors, set designer, and director. It’s hard to explain.
Anyway.
Both “realities” are set in the 1950s, so you have plenty of costume content to enjoy in both … er … worlds. The costumes were designed by Milena Canonero.
So let’s look at some of the costumes, starting with Scarlett Johansson’s character, Midge Campbell, who is a famous movie star accompanying her daughter, Dinah, to the Junior Stargazers Convention.
Maya Hawke plays a June, a young school teacher taking her class to the convention. They’re apparently from a religious school, and June struggles to explain the events that transpire to her young charges.
Tom Hanks plays Stanley Zak, the father-in-law to Jason Schwartzman’s character:
Jason Schwartzman plays Augie Steenbeck, a sort-of grieving widower and celebrated war photographer who is trying to grapple with his wife’s death while taking his four children to the Junior Stargazers Convention:
One of the things I enjoyed the most was actually the scenes depicting the stage production:
Have you seen Asteroid City (2023)? Tell us about it in the comments!
I’ll be honest, I don’t really understand what this film is about (maybe it makes more sense to watch it?) but the costumes are fun!
I took my movie buddy to see this film with me. I loved it, but she did not. She had never been to a Wes Anderson film before.
This was Wes Anderson at his Wes Andersoniest. It was visually stunning, both the black and white scenes and the sun-washed pastels of the “play”, and everything is so composed and “painterly.” BUT
The flat cadence and the rapid fire conversations were hard to follow.
How-evuh. Wow, Jason Schwartzman was heart-stealing and well, hot AF in the “play” portion and there is something about Scarlett Johannson that makes these mid-century styles (including the short hair) sing on her, even when they’re basically “staid” and unflashy. She looked so, so beautiful as Midge – like Elizabeth Taylor.
(her Janet Leigh in the Anthony Perkins and Helen Mirren Hitchcock movie was also so wonderful)
Yes, yes, yes!
Is Jason / Augie wearing modern tennies in the “prior costume” audition photo?
Wes Anderson is hit or miss for me. This was a miss. I’m just now realizing I didn’t even take note of the costumes because I was so busy being incredulous about the film overall. That’s a really rare thing for me!