Review: “The Phoenician Scheme”

By Morgan Roberts

Director: Wes Anderson
Writer: Wes Anderson
Stars: Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Mathieu Amalric, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis
Runtime: 102 minutes
Year: 2025

Filmmaker Wes Anderson returns to cinemas with his latest film, “The Phoenician Scheme” which follows businessman Zsa-Zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) as he attempts to set into motion the greatest project of his life. Enlisting his only daughter and current nun-in-training, Lisel (Mia Threapleton), Korda weaves through the country in hopes of securing the financing for his latest endeavor. Things are made more complicated by constant assassination attempts made by an unknown enemy.

Anderson has long been known for his stylized filmmaking, with color palettes and camera movements largely associated with his work. “The Phoenician Scheme” similarly employs the same look, but feels hallow in comparison to some of his other works such as “Moonrise Kingdom” or “The Royal Tenanbaums.” Over the last decade, Anderson has become more of a cameo churning machine rather than a storyteller with rich, engaging characters. The past ten years, the characters in his films have begun to feel like caricatures of who once occupied a good Wes Anderson film.

It does not help that the film is littered with cameos. From Hope Davis to Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks to Scarlett Johansson, there are a plethora of big names all portraying single note characters. “The Phoenician Scheme” suffers from this who’s who of appearances and leaves little substantive for his central characters. Korda is a businessman with a horde of children, equal to the amount of schemes he is working on. But there are no layers. Every moment feels one note and surface level, which makes it baffling anyone should care if this man succeeds or fails, lives or dies. We know very little about him nor is much revealed throughout the sluggish runtime of the film. If this is how Anderson anchors his main character, there is not much to go off of.

From L-R: Benicio del Toro as Zsa-Zsa Korda, Michael Cera as Bjorn, and Mia Threapleton as Lisel in “The Phoenician Scheme” | Focus Features

Likewise, his daughter Lisel is so devoid of personality or character traits, she feels useless a majority of the time. Even as she tries to determine who killed her mother and uncover her lineage, there is nothing to suggest this is a meaningful endeavor. It feels more like a time-filler than anything substantial. Even Bjorn (Michael Cera), a tutor Zsa-Zsa, wears thin after a number of misadventures. And this is no criticism of the film’s actors. They were all given thinly written characters. If there is no base for them, they are fighting an uphill battle to cobble some performance of substance.

Moreover, the revelations during the film feel endlessly predictable. And doing the predictable thing isn’t always wrong, but when it is served on the same plate as a decade’s worth of films, it is far from appetizing. Much of the plot feels regurgitated ideas from a viewpoint that does not feel invested in its own story. It is largely uninspired which is quite a disappointing place to be, after seeing the heights Anderson can soar to when humanity and the otherness of that humanity are the focus of his films.

While Anderson remains a technical marvel as a filmmaker, “The Phoenician Scheme” lacks any nuance or breadth. There are certainly moments where the prior brilliance of Anderson’s filmmaking and storytelling shines through, but it makes few appearances to garner similar praise to his previous works. At times, the film becomes mindless entertainment, but if you are looking for a film full of heart and whimsy, “The Phoenician Scheme” severely lacks it.

Grade: C-

Pair This Film With: “Ishtar” (1987) dir. Elaine May; “Kajilionaire” (2020) dir. Miranda July; “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” (2012) dir. Lorene Scafaria

“The Phoenician Scheme” is currently in limited release and will be widely released 06 June 2025.