The following contains spoilers for The Phoenician Scheme, now playing in theatersThe Phoenician Scheme did something I didn’t think was possible and made me fully love a Michael Cera performance. The Phoenician Scheme is the latest film from Wes Anderson, a filmmaker I honestly took some time to come around on. While I think he’s a talented filmmaker and a gifted visual storyteller, I felt his earliest stories and characters lacked a certain depth that his later stuff (most notably The Grand Budapest Hotel) achieved with a charming effectiveness. I’ve grown to especially appreciate what Wes Anderson’s best movies can bring out of their stars.
With that in mind, I shouldn’t be surprised by how much I enjoyed The Phoenician Scheme, which feels like a more ambitious and silly take on the themes Anderson previously explored in his earlier films like The Royal Tenenbaums. The entire cast is clearly having fun, with the flashes of tragedy and personality bleeding through some perfectly on-point silly performances. The best might be Michael Cera, who turns a seemingly one-note gag character Bjørn into a two-part role that proves to be one of the movie’s best elements.
Michael Cera Is Amazing In The Phoenician Scheme
Michael Cera Isn’t Just Funny As Bjørn, But Surprisingly Charming And Even A Little Soulful
Michael Cera’s performance in The Phoenician Scheme is remarkable, making him the surprising stand-out performer in a stacked cast of Wes Anderson regulars and rookies. Michael Cera effectively gives two performances in The Phoenician Scheme, with the character of Bjørn Lund taking a hard turn halfway through the movie. Initially, Bjørn is portrayed as a typical kooky Wes Anderson character, a soft-spoken and nebbish Norwegian entomologist who quickly goes from a tutor to Zsa-zsa’s children to his executive assistant for the plot of the film.
Halfway through the movie, however, Bjørn is revealed to actually be an American working as a spy for a shady business consortium that intends to bring about the end of Zsa-zsa’s influence on the global stage. Quickly donning a more traditional Wes Anderson costume design and shifting to a casually cool personality, the comic shift only really works because of Cera. Cera manages to keep the thread between Bjørn the act and Bjørn the spy, ensuring two very different performances still fit one character. It’s a great little acting feat that Cera pulls off, and I’m incredibly impressed.
I’ve Never Found Michael Cera All That Exciting
He’s A Fine Actor, But Michael Cera Always Felt Trapped In An Archetype I Didn’t Care For
I’ve never been that much of a fan of Michael Cera. This isn’t to say he’s a bad actor or that I dislike him personally. However, I’ve always had trouble getting excited about his performances. Maybe it’s because his purposefully awkward delivery in Superbad, Juno, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and Arrested Development bored me. Maybe it’s because I felt those projects backed him into a dull archetype. It’s probably a bit because I think Cera’s Scott is the weak link in the otherwise stellar Scott Pilgrim vs. The World‘s although my problems with his Scott go beyond his performance.
I’ve even enjoyed some Michael Cera movie performances, but only when he seems to be branching out. I think he’s got great comedic timing and can get big for laughs (as seen in This is the End and Barbie). He’s also proven to be a very capable voice actor in films like The LEGO Batman Movie and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (which fixed many of my character problems with the live-action film’s portrayal of Scott). Cera is a good actor, but I’ve never found myself excited about him because his talents never felt fully refined and deployed correctly.
Michael Cera’s Sense Of Comedy Fits Perfectly With Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson Gives All Of Cera’s Quirks A Perfect Home
This is why Michael Cera’s performance in The Phoenician Scheme caught me by such pleasant surprise. Bjørn has touches of the innocent, awkward archetype Cera honed in previous films, but the broader delivery of the big comedy beats makes those smaller moments land more effectively. Bjørn gets to exhibit a wide range of big emotions than many Cera characters, a far cry from the more one-note and reserved performances that established the actor in Hollywood. It all builds to his transformation into a dashing Wes Anderson protagonist, a turn that elicited one of the biggest reactions in the film.
4:44
Related
“I Was Scared”: Why Benicio del Toro’s Role In Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme Was A “Challenge” For The Actor
ScreenRant’s Liam Crowley speaks with The Phoenician Scheme’s Benicio del Toro, Michael Cera and Mia Threapleton to chat Wes Anderson’s latest film.
Wes Anderson’s tendency to bring black comedy, kooky traits, whimsical touches, and bittersweet emotion to all his characters is felt throughout the entire cast of The Phoenician Scheme. However, Cera might just get that tone best of all, with a sense of genuine guilt and yearning bleeding out of the true Bjørn that makes him charming. He’s not just a funny side-character in the latter half of the film but a genuine romantic lead, with enough charm and nobility to finally catch the attention of Liesl. It’s a delightful turn from Cera, and one I hope isn’t a one-off.
Wes Anderson Should Make Michael Cera His New Regular Star
Cera Fits In Perfectly With Anderson’s Style
Although Wes Anderson has yet to do a direct sequel to any of his films, he has developed a habit of casting many of the same actors in his films. Actors like Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, and Jason Schwartzman have reestablished themselves in the 21st century in part thanks to their instantly memorable appearances in Wes Anderson’s films. The Phoenician Scheme is Cera’s first collaboration with Michael Cera, a partnership that Cera’s co-star Benedict Cumberbatch noted was a match made in heaven.
I agree with Cumberbatch that Cera’s skills are best utilized by a filmmaker like Wes Anderson, who is able to help Cera craft a character who is broad but specific, silly and bittersweet. The understated deadpan comedy at the core of Wes Anderson’s filmography plays well to Cera’s ability to underplay a situation, as well as his ability to suddenly go broad for a bigger comedic beat. Cera isn’t afraid to make himself the butt of the joke (as with Bjørn in the film’s first half) but becomes a surprisingly effective romantic lead in the second half.
Michael Cera has real talent, but he’s often felt trapped by his early successes and unable to fully branch out. Wes Anderson is the perfect person to highlight Cera’s skill set, using his various skills to create a quickly amusing character who gradually becomes one of the more charming elements of a thoroughly charming movie. I hope Wes Anderson uses Michael Cera in more of his movies going forward, because I think movies like The Phoenician Scheme can bring out the best qualities of Cera as a performer.
