
Movie review
Asteroid City
Woke Score
Lower is better
- Release Date
- June 8, 2023
- Age Rating
- PG-13
- Runtime
- 105 min
Where to Watch
United States · Last checked 5/16/2026
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Breakdown
Factors & Ratings
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Asteroid City.
Representation / casting choices
The large ensemble mixes actors of various backgrounds in roles that fit the 1950s American desert town story, with no emphasis on diversity as a theme, no gender or race swaps, and no identity signaling.
Political / ideological dialogue
Characters discuss grief, romance, family, and questions about existence and art, but no lines push political views, activist ideas, or social justice talking points.
Identity-driven story themes
The plot and arcs stay centered on universal personal experiences like loss and wonder, with zero focus on race, gender, sexuality, or group identity struggles.
Institutional / cultural critique
The military quarantine and cover-up of the alien event play as light absurdist comedy in a 1950s setting, without turning into modern activist attacks on government, patriarchy, capitalism, or Western norms.
