User Reviews

Never having seen a Wes Anderson film prior to this, it caught me a little off guard. I loved its quirkiness and little nuances that go against the grain. It was an enjoyable few hours.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

8.5/10 This is the first Wes Anderson film since Moonrise Kingdom (at least among his live-action features) that truly left me satisfied on the storytelling side, after that, Anderson's Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch, and Asteroid City were are all good movies, but they didn't leave much beyond the impression of being another good Wes Anderson film with beautifully made, well-acted, and decent to enoyable enough story. With The Phoenician Scheme, however, Anderson finally delivers a story that feels not just decent, but genuinely compelling and deeply enjoyable, the film also has a strong rewatchable quality, something i didn't quite feel in his last two projects (though The Grand Budapest Hotel still remains rewatchable for me). Wes Anderson could make the same kind of film for the rest of his life, and i'd probably still appreciate them, his aesthetic and direction are that consistently engaging, but for his work to rise above being just another beautifully crafted, "artsy-looking" film, which we've all become very familiar with and fond of, it really comes down to the story, it's about which story feels worth following again and again. The Phoenician Scheme has that, a great story, supported by strong performances and great filmmaking, the film is not without it flaws, the first act is a bit slow and less engaging compared to the final two, but even that might grow on me with rewatching, overall, The Phoenician Scheme is, in my opinion, the best Wes Anderson film since Moonrise Kingdom.

Plot was mired in terrible innane dialogue and really entire scenes had little to no purpose.

One of the better movies by Wes Anderson, this one has great performances, premise and setting. It's also an artistic triumph, if you appreciate that kind of thing. The story gets a bit muddled by an underexplained Macguffin, but that's easy to overlook thanks to all of the entertaining distractions.

I was not engaged by the story, characters, or dialogue. The cinematography and music was great as always for a Wes Anderson film.

It can feel a little long at times, but it tells an enjoyable story that makes it worth sitting through. The performances of del Toro and Threapleton elevate the movie greatly.

This movie was just ok. The story is interesting and is separate by x chapters. The unique style of WA is still there, but I though there was too many lines given to Del Toro and that it lessen the other characters and deprived them for humour and witty dialogues. Reducing them to merely cameos. The movie also lack some Ma (see Ghibli) moments. It hardly pauses and doesn't give you time to process all those dialogues. So the rhythm is pretty bad. I give it 60%. Great actors but an average movie in terms of structure and written dialogues.

An awful amount of non-sense kitsch stuff, probably one of the worst movie ever made by mankind. Please, don't watch it!

a genius piece of media. Hilarious as it is thoughtful, the casting is inspired. It has all the beauty of the rest of his movies, but the characters are where this movie shines brightest none feel boring or even uninspired

A very fun and entertaining film with a heartwarming ending. Every scene of this movie is a work of art and candy for the eyes. Michael Cera's Bjorn was a standout for me and made me wonder why he hasn't appeared in a Wes Anderson film sooner.

A masterclass in slow-burn espionage, The Phoenician Scheme weaves political intrigue and personal betrayal into a taut, cerebral thriller that rewards patient viewers. Director Mira Al-Tariq crafts a moody atmosphere brimming with tension, supported by a quietly commanding performance from Leïla Bekhti and a razor-sharp script that unravels like a coded message. While its deliberate pacing and layered narrative may not appeal to mainstream audiences, its ambition and intelligence mark it as one of the year’s boldest international dramas.

C’est une sorte de film d’auteur à la con, volontiers inepte et absurde qui caricature (soi-disant) le capitalisme et la mégalomanie et l’industrie et la nature humaine et… tout ça, tout un fatras de bordel intello bobo à la petite semaine… C’est néanmoins tout à fait intrigant au début et par la suite, jusqu’à peu près un bon tiers alors que la répétition de l’ensemble se fait déjà sentir dans cette espèce de théâtre filmé, très statique et entièrement filmé en 4/3 ! (il manque plus que le noir & blanc et… le muet pour en faire un film d’auteur tout à fait con-firmé). C’est que la curiosité s’efface au fur et à mesure devant l’ennui de cette espèce de fable (?) peuplée il est vrai par une bien agréable distribution. On passe à l’avance rapide, histoire d’abréger ce qui n’a pas d’histoire mais simplement une suite de séquences qui se répètent dans leur vague humour (?) d’auteur intello péteux de mes deux. J’avoue que c’était presque drôle lorsqu’ils jouent au basket… et Del Toro est évidemment impérial, comme d’habitude mais il est englué dans ce film d’auteur à la con, un film victime de sa propre prétention : le résultat est donc un gros pschiiiiit et… c’est à peu près tout.

(Mauro Lanari) "Death is everywhere in Wes Anderson's work, and more than anything else in his mise-en-scène, which is primarily a still life. [...] The protagonist, a bastard hero, spends the entire film fleeing death, embodied more literally in a black and white afterlife, a Last Judgment where Charlotte Gainsbourg and Bill Murray sit" (Marzia Gandolfi). It would be perfectly legitimate if reviewing "Asteroid City", his "The Seventh Seal", where the amalgam was perfect and every element converged toward that outcome; but this time, absolutely not. Too many diverging focuses, from anti-capitalism to unresolved family issues, and the plot is too disjointed, relegating elements pertaining to finitude to a parallel narrative line. Aside from the first 10 minutes, it's the director himself who must clarify in the end credits that his frontal fixed shots are still lifes, the skull's appearance as a "memento mori" is discontinuous and occasional, as are the transcendent inserts à la Paradžanov or Powell and Pressburger (at least someone, Roberto Manassero and Mattia Petrillo, noticed). Moreover, and perhaps for the first time, his humor is neither dark nor macabre: it's sterile.

“The Phoenician Scheme” is Wes Anderson’s latest fascinating work of cinematic art and sincere storytelling that explores spirituality in an honest way through a shady businessman on a journey to work out dicey business affairs, escape from international agencies trying to kill him and above all, address his past evildoings and make peace with his ethical and personal morality. Unlike “Asteroid City”, the ensemble of characters have a cohesive and relatable dynamic, the pacing is consistent, the story being told is polished and the moments written to be special are very genuine while the moments written to be humorous are very funny.

La misma estética de siempre; pero no cuadra con la historia que nos intenta contar.

Not his best for me. But still a fan. Not sure why the last two films didn't match up....

This is an artsy, pretentious movie that tries to be sophisticated but is simply boring. Some would say I “didn’t get it” because I wasn’t paying attention. No that’s not it. I paid very close attention. I understand the style the director was trying to achieve but the plot, while trying to intricate and interesting just falls flat. Heck, I love Stanley Kubrick and similar directors for artistic style but I almost needed my eyes held open like Alex in “A Clockwork Orange”. I was ready to yell out, “Stop, stop. It’s not fair” like Alex did but there were only three other theatre goers other than my wife and I. I even asked one of them their impression of the movie and she shared our opinion. She was even reading about the movie on Wikipedia, thinking she didn’t understand the movie. “No, that’s not it”, I said. I consider myself to be a movie aficionado, someone who watches many different movies in many different genres, but this was the first time I considered walking out on a movie. I read on Wikipedia that at the Cannes Music Festival people booed the movie. I get it.

Another gem from Wes Anderson. This was a very fun and cute movie. Gotta be honest, the beginning kind of felt like Wes was parodying himself, but once we dug into the meat and potatoes of this film, it was a blast!

The design and performances are as good as ever. The presentation is still so unique compared to other movies that I am still not tiring of it. But, in this movie at least, I was not getting really any heart or spirit from the characters or script.

This was a classic Wes Anderson film. The colors were great the plot was really fun and the actors did a great job.

That was the worst thing I've ever seen. Plot = dull. Visually appealing = no. Casting = wrong. Acting = bad. Creativity = none. Zaniness = missing. Photography = amateurish. Sets = boring. Costumes = boring. Enjoyment level = worst. One of those rare movies I would rate a minus one (-1) if I could.

I am a fan of Wes Anderson but this was extremely boring and inscrutable. I actually left before it ended. My friend described it as "weak."

Benicio Del Toro plays a wealthy businessman who appoints his nun daughter (Mia Threapleton) as sole heir to his estate. Along with a nerdy Norwegian (Michael Cera) they embark on a mission to complete a somewhat confusing infrastructure project. The plot is just a flimsy excuse for the cinematic excursion. The most important aspect of this film is director Wes Anderson, so you have an idea of what to expect: formal visuals, deadpan delivery and stylized presentation. It’s all here, but it seems to get even more flat with each film. Cera is the only person who brings any quirk to his role, while everyone else in the cast (sprinkled with big name stars) is lackluster. I’m finding my appreciation of Anderson’s work is waning with every project and this one increases the downward slope. For no real reason other than Easter egg curiosity, Anderson used real classic paintings on the sets, which are delineated in the end credits.

The hate for the movie is undeserved. The dialogue is great, the story is straight forward and cinematically beautiful. The movie is clever in its own right despite the pretentiousness. Anybody who was confused, thought the movie was too long or felt bored was either not paying attention or not meant to watch it. It's mostly dialogue driven and will keep your attention throughout if you actually follow the story. Even if you're not a fan of Wes Anderson, you should this film a chance. I think it's one of his best works. I loved every minute of it. Watch this film!

LI enjoyed it. My attention was held throughout it. It made me laugh, although the humor was very dry. It's definitely not a movie for everyone. It's probably because everything in it seems very deliberate. Nothing is fluid, and that's by design. The sets were amazing the performance as well. The plan is were I'm not completely on board with. I like the Father daughter relationship.

This is Wes Anderson's worst work. As clever as this film tries to be and goodness does it try, it fails to work.

Anderson has tried to pack this one with a Grand Budapest mentor–mentee relationship AND a Life Aquatic epic quest AND an “Asteroid City” meta-narrative, and the result is an underwhelming version of each and a largely arbitrary climax.

Wes Anderson mostra total domínio da arte no quesito técnico: os planos aqui estão o puro suco do cinema. Desde os enquadramentos às cores, tudo é milimetricamente bem planejado. O roteiro, porém, não consegue se sustentar ao longo das quase duas horas de projeção. A história gira em torno de um personagem ironicamente construído, podendo vê-lo como vilão ou herói. Há aqui muitas sacadas da construção histórica desses tais profissionais liberais, criados na corrupção e em sintonia às elites de época. Wes Anderson também brinca com a linha do tempo, o que torna o filme realmente divertido. A patir da entrada da filha apra garantir contrato familiar, o filme embarca numa odisseia um tanto quanto cansativa, as vezes, mas ainda assim o texto engraçado e politicamente reflexivo dá conta de ao menos não perdermos o interesse. Poderia até ser mais ágil, e o fato de abandonar a ação das primeiras cenas (que estão na melhor fase do diretornesse gênero) faz o filme cambalear mais para o drama em tons de comédia. Ainda assim, um filme que personifica o estilo do diretor, entregando algo bem próprio de sua estética, e visualmente muito bom, por mais que o roteiro ainda falhe em certos momentos.

Wes Anderson já virou um gênero em si. Com seu estilo visual inconfundível, narrativas excêntricas e elencos repletos de estrelas, ele criou um cinema autoral tão marcado que, ao mesmo tempo em que encanta seus fãs mais fiéis, começa a gerar certo cansaço até mesmo entre os admiradores de sua estética. Em O Esquema Fenício, seu novo longa, Anderson se cerca novamente de rostos familiares — Benicio del Toro, Michael Cera, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Bill Murray, Bryan Cranston, Benedict Cumberbatch e Riz Ahmed — e repete a parceria de roteiro com Roman Coppola, presente em outros projetos como Asteroid City, A Crônica Francesa e Ilha dos Cachorros. A sensação imediata é a de um déjà vu cinematográfico: tudo soa familiar, desde o enquadramento milimetricamente simétrico até a cadência dos diálogos que soam quase como narração literária. E isso pode tanto confortar quanto afastar.A crítica recorrente ao diretor — e que volta à tona aqui — é o esgotamento da sua assinatura visual e narrativa. Seus últimos filmes deram sinais claros de uma repetição que deixou de ser charme e passou a ser obstáculo. Asteroid City e A Crônica Francesa, por exemplo, pecaram pelo excesso: elencos inchados e mal aproveitados, participações especiais que mais pareciam desfiles de celebridades do que personagens relevantes. A narrativa, por sua vez, se diluía na tentativa de dar espaço a todos, o que resultava em tramas desconexas e frias. Em O Esquema Fenício, porém, Anderson parece reconhecer esse problema e tenta retornar às suas raízes — ou, pelo menos, à ideia de uma história mais centrada. Ainda que traga uma nova constelação de estrelas hollywoodianas, o filme foca majoritariamente na relação entre o protagonista Zsa-Zsa Korda e sua filha Liesl, reduzindo o número de subtramas e deixando menos espaço para distrações que não levam a lugar algum.Essa mudança é bem-vinda, mas está longe de resolver todos os problemas. Ainda que o elenco secundário seja numericamente mais contido, nomes como Scarlett Johansson e Tom Hanks surgem quase como enfeites de luxo, em participações que mal se consolidam como coadjuvantes. São personagens que não têm peso dramático e nem impacto narrativo, o que reforça a ideia de que Anderson ainda se sente preso à obrigação de escalar grandes nomes, mesmo que não saiba muito bem o que fazer com eles. Funciona? Até certo ponto. O foco no trio principal — especialmente Benicio del Toro, a excelente revelação Mia Threapleton e o sempre peculiar Michael Cera — ajuda a dar ritmo à história, mas fica a sensação de que o filme poderia extrair mais do talento reunido em tela, sobretudo quando Anderson claramente optou por trabalhar com menos peças.O que realmente surpreende positivamente em O Esquema Fenício é o retorno do bom humor. A comédia, que havia se perdido nos últimos filmes do diretor, reaparece com força, não em grandes piadas ou momentos de riso escancarado, mas na forma como os atores trabalham o tempo cômico com sutileza — nos olhares, nos silêncios, nos trejeitos. Benicio del Toro brilha com sua presença contida e ao mesmo tempo cômica; Michael Cera, como sempre, acerta na estranheza desconcertante; e Mia Threapleton mostra que herdou o talento da mãe, Kate Winslet, ao entregar uma performance que equilibra leveza e sensibilidade. É justamente nesses respiros de humor que o filme encontra frescor, mesmo quando a narrativa principal — sobre um projeto de infraestrutura em meio a tentativas de assassinato — começa a parecer arrastada e repetitiva. Chega um momento em que o espectador só quer chegar logo ao desfecho, mas os pequenos momentos de comédia e o carisma do trio central mantêm o interesse vivo.Visualmente, O Esquema Fenício é um espetáculo. Com o design de produção impecável de Adam Stockhausen — colaborador frequente de Anderson e vencedor do Oscar por O Grande Hotel Budapeste —, o filme é um dos mais elegantes da carreira do diretor. Tudo aqui é digno de um museu: os cenários, a paleta de cores, a direção de arte, o figurino. É um deleite estético, que quase faz o espectador esquecer a fragilidade da história. A fotografia é outro ponto alto, reforçando que, mesmo quando a trama não empolga, Anderson ainda sabe como construir imagens que valem o ingresso por si só. A combinação entre arte visual e humor refinado acaba sendo o grande diferencial do filme — e talvez seu principal motivo de **** fim das contas, O Esquema Fenício não é um grande filme de Wes Anderson, mas tampouco é um fracasso. É mais uma prova de que seu estilo, embora desgastado, ainda pode funcionar quando encontra um elenco certo, uma narrativa minimamente focada e resgata elementos que haviam se perdido em produções anteriores. Para quem já está cansado do estilo Wes Anderson, este longa dificilmente vai mudar alguma opinião.

A masterpiece of the Wes Anderson alternate universe. The dense plot and visual detail are best appreciated with a second viewing. The characterizations are spot-on, the sets sublime. You might not get the picture the first time around, so see it again…as Ed Ruscha said, “Art has to be something that makes you scratch your head.”

Unlike Wes Anderson's last film, Asteroid City, The Phoenician Scheme genuinely shows heart and humour, a true return to form for Wes Anderson and has many great performances like Benicio Del Toro and Michael Cera 8/10

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Wes Anderson leaves behind the unfairly repudiated existentialism of 'Asteroid City' to deliver a lighter crime comedy. It's clear the popular director is repeating himself again, but at least the complicated father-daughter relationship between Benicio del Toro and Mia Threapleton's characters delivers plenty of good moments. As a bonus, he brings in Michael Cera for the first time, who seemed destined to collaborate with him sooner rather than later. The film exasperates with a story centered around a complex, irrelevant financial scheme, but it's entertaining when it relies on the deadpan comedy of its peculiar protagonists.

The Phoenician Scheme is a funny and character-driven film with perfect cinematography. The characters are all intriguing, none of them are even near being flat. Even when I was certain that I completely knew'em, another layer was peeled off them. The story is simple, but character intrigues make it interesting. I know it's Wes Anderson's style, but I'm not the biggest fan of heavily leaning on dialogue, because I'm not a native English speaker. On the other hand dome of the lines are extremely funny. The direction is obviously amazing and the cinematography is just perfect. The lighting is especially great and so is the framing. The production design is wild. The score is wonderful, the last piece at the end makes it feel magical, like a Christmas movie. The cast is insane, but it was surprising how little screen time some of the huge names got. I love Benicio Del Toro as leading man, he gave a great performance, while I also loved Mia Threapleton. The Phoenician Scheme is wonderful movie magic, but there's just too much dialogue for my taste.

"The Phoenician Scheme" is funny lovely work from a director with a fresh spring in his step. It may not be his best work, but it's still an entertaining ride that keeps Wes Anderson's signature style of charm, wit & ensemble cast of colourful characters. It's a globe trotting adventure of scheming, assassination attempts & corporate sabotage. Surprisingly, there's an interesting spiritual journey within the story. Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton & Michael Cera have a great dynamic with each other and are absolute perfection. If you already count yourself among his admirers, it’s a return to form with moments of divine inspiration (just wait until you see who he cast as God). For the rest, it may not cause conversion, but it’s certainly worth sharing some communion wine over.