Wes Anderson is the epitome of a cinephile’s dream director. Carving out a niche with his own distinct style which is expressed best through his zany plots and exquisite production design palette, Wes Anderson films are one of a kind. And this is where The Phoenician Scheme stumbles. While it has moments of wonderful madness and eccentricity, .

3 appears, at times, to be a shadow of Anderson’s previous films. 

​

Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins.

​

When a director has such a plethora of critical and culturally impacting cinematic work under their belt, it can sometimes become burdensome, always compared with your previous cult classic work. But what makes a director truly great, in this reviewer’s most humble opinion, is the ability to explore various narratives, themes, and ways in which to tell stories.

 

In The Phoenician Scheme we’ve kinda seen it all before - a wealthy, slightly odd patriarch with a strained relationship with his children thrown together in a unique and symmetrically pleasing production design. So, naturally, people will compare Anderson’s latest film with his previous endeavours. 

​

And there is something of the heart that existed in The Grand Budapest Hotel and Fantastic Mr. Fox that seems to be missing here. Also, in Anderson’s other films, the absolutely bonkers parts of the narrative and characters were blunted by dry, sarcastic humour which is in short supply here. 

​

That being said, there’s still plenty to like here. From the race from project to project to try and cover the financial gap, to Mia Threapleton’s great performance on her biggest stage yet, and Michael Cera stealing every scene he’s in, there's enough here to have a good time out at the movies.

​

While it has moments of wonderful madness and eccentricity, The Phoenician Scheme appears, at times, to be a shadow of Anderson’s previous films.