Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- witty
- whimsical
- melancholic
- arthouse movie night
- wes anderson marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film’s meticulous visual and narrative design, wit, and emotional treatment of loneliness, while noting that its stylization can feel indulgent or unfocused.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The narrative is presented through a television-program structure surrounding the staged Asteroid City story.
The desert town, motel, diner, observatory, costumes, and blocking are arranged as highly controlled tableaux.
The quarantine, scientific observation, military procedure, and theatrical framing organize responses to an alien encounter and grief.
Widower Augie, his children, Midge, Stanley, scientists, and military personnel converge in a remote desert town during Asteroid Day.
Films like Asteroid City, and why
The Grand Budapest Hotel
shared meticulously composed visual style, eccentric ensemble comedy, melancholy undercurrents, and nested theatrical storytelling
The French Dispatch
shared stylized ensemble drama, artificial tableaux, deadpan humor, and stories about grief beneath formal control
The Royal Tenenbaums
shared whimsical science fiction premise, family grief, deadpan absurdity, and emotionally restrained wonder
The Truman Show
shared surreal suburban science fiction, family-centered emotional unease, and comic treatment of large-scale disruption
Movie Details
- Director
- Wes Anderson
- Release Date
- 2023-06-08
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (2641)
Cast
- Jason Schwartzman
- Scarlett Johansson
- Tom Hanks
- Jeffrey Wright
- Tilda Swinton
- Bryan Cranston
- Edward Norton
- Adrien Brody
- Liev Schreiber
- Hope Davis
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Asteroid City about?
- During a mid-century desert gathering, grief-stricken families and outsiders confront an alien interruption through Wes Anderson’s precise, playful theater of uncertainty.
- What is Asteroid City like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Asteroid City as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Asteroid City violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Asteroid City.
- What did critics think of Asteroid City?
- Critics broadly praised the film’s meticulous visual and narrative design, wit, and emotional treatment of loneliness, while noting that its stylization can feel indulgent or unfocused.
- Which films are like Asteroid City?
- Films with a similar feel include The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch, The Royal Tenenbaums, and The Truman Show.
- How long is Asteroid City?
- Asteroid City runs 105 minutes.
- Where can I watch Asteroid City?
- In United States, Asteroid City streams on Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus.
