The framing, the quirky characters, the details, the whipsmart dialogue and its delivery. Every time I watch a Wes Anderson film that one becomes my new favourite until I watch another one. I love how he tells his stories, how his characters interact, and all the little moments, styles, and touches that make a Wes Anderson film so beguiling.

This time, we’re dealing with young love in the form of Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy (Kara Hayward). Having met briefly the two young people have a romantic connection that will shape their lives, and cause some problems on the little New England island they find themselves on.

Sam is there because his scout troop, led by Scout Master Ward (Edward Norton) has brought his charges there. But Sam quickly goes AWOL having set into motion a plan he concocted with Suzy who lives on the island with her siblings and her parents, Mr. (Bill Murray) and Mrs. (Frances McDormand) Bishop.

Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis), the island constabulary, is leading the search for the missing boy when he learns from the Bishops (he’s having an affair with Mrs. Bishop) that Suzy has gone missing as well.

While the two love birds learn more about one another and make a real connection, the hunt continues, and the scouts, who weren’t a big fan of Sam to begin with delight in the idea of hunting him down.

Though once the pair are recovered, the scouts are the first to help Sam escape and reunite with the love of his life, Suzy. Parts of it play out almost like a WWII film, except brought to life by kids, chaperoned in part by the adult actors around them, and that just makes everything all the more delightful.

Gilman and Hayward are completely charming as the leads. Bob Balaban lends his presence as narrator for this tale, which is set a long time ago in the summer of 1965. Everyone in the cast and crew seems to be in on Anderson’s storytelling style and brings it vividly to life. It’s so delightfully quirky and heartfelt, and giving it that touch of nostalgia allows viewers to recall their first loves, and relate to a number of characters throughout the story.

Anderson’s dialogue sparkles and it’s always fun to see how many of his regulars he can fit into his films. I’m really going to have to get out to see Asteroid City very soon, I may not be able to wait for it to hit physical media or streaming services.