The Phoenician Scheme is billed as a comedy. It is not. It isn’t even a movie. Instead, it is a succession of artistic tableaus, often from birds eye viewpoints so that the audience can fully appreciate the cleverness of the direction.
I really wanted to enjoy this movie. In its favor, the sets are mostly gorgeous . But there’s no character development, the acting is stiff as befits the tableau aesthetic, and I didn’t laugh once.
