Wes Anderson is schemin’ up something, as his latest film, The Phoenician Scheme has just had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. So how did it fare at the world’s most famous fest and does it have a shot at the Palme d’Or?
The way it sounds, The Phoenician Scheme is very much a Wes Anderson movie; that might sound vague and non-descriptive but you know exactly what we mean when we say that. With that, we seem to be looking at more of the same, which isn’t a slight at all. Indeed, if there’s one director whose visual style we want to continue to feast on, it’s Anderson.
THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME is Anderson’s tightest contraption in years. The repertory ensemble vibrates with electricity, Delbonnel invigorates Wes with some shocking camera moves, and Barney Pilling’s razor-sharp editing is the best in the biz. Loved every last wacky bit. #Cannes2025 pic.twitter.com/rhv9wPgfzY
— Dancin' Dan in Cannes-land (@dancindanonfilm) May 18, 2025sponsored content
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Michael Cera has never been funnier than he is in THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME. Nearly every line out of his mouth and every quirky mannerism had me dying laughing. An excellent addition to Wes Anderson's ever-growing troupe. https://t.co/ATw1BekDDA
— Ezra Cubero (@EzraCubero) May 18, 2025
I can confirm The Phoenician Scheme is indeed a Wes Anderson film. While I will say I enjoyed it more than Asteroid City and the French Dispatch, it’s still more of the same. Pretty aesthetics, neat lines, quirky characters – as per usual.
— Luke Hearfield (@LukeHearfield) May 18, 2025
In regards to performances, I will say… pic.twitter.com/uPRuCb4gNT
Even still — and despite a six-minute standing ovation — a number of people who caught the premiere of The Phoenician Scheme are taking issues with the point that it’s just not doing enough to stand out from Anderson’s other movies. How that will actually impact one’s viewing is really up to the individual in this case.
While THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME looks immaculate, it often leaves you feeling emotionally stranded. For all its indulgences and eccentric detours, it's hard not to admire the sheer audacity of the thing. Full review at the link below. #ThePhoenicianScheme https://t.co/c4Qrw07o1l
— Doug Jamieson (@itsdougjam) May 19, 2025
— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) May 18, 2025The Phoenician Scheme: the first Wes Anderson movie whose style is actively working against its story. His busiest and least rewarding film (on first blush, anyway), but pleasures abound ofc, and Michael Cera was born for this.
My #Cannes2025 review: https://t.co/VHWjZK5RhG pic.twitter.com/qHwXMucy9O
THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME is, as per the course for Wes Anderson, a visual feast with elaborate set designs, and characteristically quirky with eccentric characters & witty dialogue, but ultimately one of his weaker films. Still, because it’s Wes Anderson, if you're already a fan, it… pic.twitter.com/NEXo7O5yRX
— Matt Neglia @Cannes (@NextBestPicture) May 18, 2025
One thing I’m most excited about so the The Phoenician Scheme is the ensemble cast, which sees plenty of Wes Anderson alum returning, including Benicio del Toro, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Scarlet Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Willem Dafoe, and Bill Murray, who sat the rare movie out last time around with Asteroid City. Newcomers include Mia Threapleton and Michael Cera, who evidently fits into a Wes Anderson film as well as we expected. The story finds these actors and more tangled in with businessmen, nuns, assassins, and more.
The Phoenician Scheme marks the return of Wes Anderson to Cannes, having sat it out with his previous feature, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, going straight to Netflix. The film is in competition for the coveted Palme d’Or, which Asteroid City was also in the running for in 2023. Like that movie, The Phoenician Scheme comes from Focus Features. The film opens on May 30th.
What do you make of the first reactions to Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme right out of Cannes? Will you be seeing it on opening weekend?
Source: X
Tags: The Phoenician Scheme, Wes Anderson
