YMMV / Asteroid City

• Aluminum Christmas Trees:
  • Having a Black army general in 1955 might strike some as Politically Correct History, but it's possible: the first Black general officer in the United States Army, Benjamin O. Davis, was promoted in 1940. Of course, a five-star general, as Gen. Gibson is said to be, is a much taller order; there have only been a tiny handful of those in all of history. It's downplayed somewhat due to the film's nature as a Nested Story; Gibson's not actually a general, he's an actor in a documentary, playing an actor in a play, playing a general.
  • Nuclear testing on US soil was conducted only hundreds of miles away from nearby towns, meaning that it isn't too strange that they might be visible from Asteroid City.
• Award Snub: The film received a fair amount of Oscar buzz, and many Wes Anderson fans hoped it might be the first of his films to win an Oscar, with its costume and production designs being seen as particularly worthy. But it didn't get nominated for a single one.
• Broken Base: Among Wes Anderson fans, this is among his more quietly polarizing works — while few have outright called it bad, opinions range from "another solid entry in his filmography" to "one of his most forgettable". One of the more common talking points is how its story is significantly denser and less easily-accessible than much of Anderson's usual fare, with the question being — especially in conjunction with Anderson's usual filmmaking eccentricities and then some — whether it's clever, witty, and poignant in a more esoteric way than usual for the director, or simply too confusing and style-over-substance to work and make sense.
• Funny Moments: A given, since it's a Wes Anderson film.
  • Augie being left in Stunned Silence after Midge asks if he wants to see the nude scene she does in her upcoming film.
    Augie: ... Huh? Did I say yes?
    Midge: You didn't say anything.
    Augie: Uh, I meant 'yes'. My mouth, my mouth didn't speak.
  • The girls meeting their grandfather again for the first time in years fail to recognize him at first, before one of them says she remembers him for his smell. He then sniffs his armpit to see if he actually does have a noticeable smell.
  • When the alien shows up and steals the asteroid, Augie lifts his camera to take a picture. The alien looks at him, then the asteroid, then does a humorous pose before clearing his throat and leaving.
    Augie: The, uh, the alien stole the asteroid.
  • The host appearing during act II, which causes Midge and Sandy to briefly be confused as he asks, "Am I not in this?" before he apologizes and awkwardly scoots offscreen.
  • The Alien suddenly coming back to drop the meteor back in its place causing Gibson to announce a new quarantine, which in turn causes everyone to reach their Rage Breaking Point and riot.
  • Early on, J.J. and Roger argue about the existence of aliens, with J.J. firmly denying that they exist. When the alien actually shows up, he looks shocked, then looks over at Roger who gives him a very smug "I told you so" look.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Who needs Barbenheimer when Asteroid City has both A-bomb testing and beautiful dollhouse aesthetics with pastel coloration? Asteroid City even works in Margot Robbie, appearing as a sort of ghost, sort of guide, sort of counsellor to another character.
• I Knew It!: As soon as it was revealed that aliens would factor into the movie, people immediately started to predict that frequent Anderson collaborator and noted Cloudcuckoolander Jeff Goldblum would play one — and indeed, a look backstage reveals that's exactly who plays it! While the Alien is represented by stop-motion animation in the story proper, its appearance and mannerisms clearly echo Goldblum's in the framing device.
• One-Scene Wonder:
  • Schubert Green's wife, Polly, has only one scene, but it's a poignant and touching moment expertly played by Hong Chau.
  • Despite being one of the biggest stars in the already-stacked cast, Margot Robbie only has one scene. But as the actress who would have played Augie's late wife in a cut scene, she has an interaction with Augie's actor, Jones Hall. That interaction may well be the fulcrum the whole movie swings upon.

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