Cannes 2025 Video #4: Brian Tallerico on Mission Impossible, The Phoenician Scheme, My Father’s Shadow, Secret Agent | Chaz at Cannes

The 2025 Cannes Film Festival is underway, and Chaz Ebert is on the ground to report on every development. In today’s video, Chaz checks in with Managing Editor Brian Tallerico to talk about some of the most-buzzed about films at the fest, from the latest “Mission Impossible” to Wes Anderson’s most recent confection, “The Phoenician Scheme.” Watch the video and read the transcript below.

Chaz Ebert

Bonjour. And welcome back. Today I am really pleased to introduce the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, Brian Tallerico. And one of the reasons I’m really, really pleased to introduce them to you is because this is his very first Cannes. And I like to know what it’s like when people come for the first time. Brian’s been to many film festivals, don’t get me wrong, but this is his very first Cannes. Brian. Hello there.

Brian Tallerico

I’m great. How are you?

Chaz 

Great. As you can see, I’m excited to talk to you about your first experience at Cannes, but we’re going to go right into something, okay? You know that our audience at home all across America probably want to know a little bit about Mission Impossible. It opened here at Cannes. And you were there.

Brian 

I was there. Mission: Impossible is a big enough movie for Cannes. It’s a huge movie, so it fits this atmosphere. And Tom Cruise walked the red carpet and had a blast.

Chaz 

Okay.

Brian 

Everything around it seemed fun. The movie a little less so. I’m a huge fan of the Mission Impossible franchise. I’ve given rave reviews on the site to the Mission Impossible franchise, so I’m sorry to report I’m a little mixed on this one.

Chaz 

And that’s okay.

Brian 

Well, I know it. Just because it’s Cannes doesn’t mean it’s perfect. No, it takes a long time to get where it’s going. Okay? It’s got about an hour of set up and previously on. And here’s why Ethan Hunt matters and footage from all the previous other films. In other words, it’s kind of like a victory lap. And he’s earned that a little bit. I mean, he’s making these movies for 29 years. Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible was 1996. So it’s been a long time. And so they kind of go with it, it’s like the Avengers: Endgame for Mission: Impossible.

Once it gets to the fun stuff, once it gets to, like, submarine stunts and plane stunts. And in fact, it’s kind of amazing that it’s as good as it is in the end, because that first hour is so bad. Okay, but if you’re patient with it, you can kind of take your time getting to the theater and get your popcorn in your bag over there. And then it’s a really good time once it gets there. It’s just I’m a little disappointed at how long it takes to do so.

Chaz 

Okay. Well thank you. Now let’s get into some other Cannes type movies. Yeah, I hear that there is a new Wes Anderson film here, The Phoenician Scheme. Is that the name?

Brian 

Yeah, The Phoenician Scheme, which opens at home on May 30th. So it’s one of those quick turnaround Cannes to US films.

Chaz 

Well that’s good because you can tell our audience what you think.

Brian 

It’s fun. I mean, it’s Wes having a lot of fun. It’s a good time. It’s a comedy. It’s like his most sight gag-heavy movie in a long time. Lots of really funny punchlines and jokes. A great cast. Michael. Cera was born to be in a Wes Anderson movie. It’s his best performance.

Chaz 

When I saw Michael Cera in that movie, I thought, “This is so perfect; it was like it was preordained.”

Brian 

I want him to be in every single Wes Anderson movie. He’s hysterical.

Chaz 

He was so good in the movie that at the press conference, someone suggested that Wes put Michael Cera in his next movie, and everybody agreed. So they shook hands on that night.

Brian 

I mean, he’s remarkable. The movie feels a little slight. I think Asteroid City, his last movie, is actually really deep and heavy stuff. This one’s kind of a lark, but then it’s also kind of about God and decency and redemption. So maybe it’s not okay. Maybe it’s supposed to be.

Chaz 

What is it about, really? Because I found it to be one of his most political movies.

Brian 

There’s that for sure.

Chaz 

Sure. I was reading different layers, and I don’t know if it’s just me in the state of the world where it is today, but I thought, I can see layers of politics. And in the press conference he did talk about a certain type of capitalism. You know, he never said Trump, right? And he didn’t mention that he could have just been talking about an archetype.

Brian 

Right. It’s about oligarchs, I think in general, yeah. You have power and manipulate people. And then maybe get to the end of the line and try to decide if that was a good thing or not. Yeah. And Wes is not older, but he’s in maybe a midlife crisis phase and wondering about things. His last few films seem to be about searching for meaning in certain ways, and this one. But this one’s got biblical imagery in it, which he doesn’t usually play with.

Chaz 

I love that religious tableau. Yeah, that was there. Also, he talked about the fact that he has a daughter and the person who co-wrote the movie with him, Roman Coppola, has a daughter, Roman Coppola’s daughter was there at the press conference. She was 14 years old today and we all sang Happy Birthday to her baby. What a memory for your 14th birthday.

Brian 

Incredible. So it’s an interesting movie for sure. I mean, even just think about the father-daughter. One business, one religion. Like, it’s about really different things that rule the world. And him trying to reconcile those. I’m not sure.

Chaz 

It may not be your favorite movie, but is this something that is you talk about the different layers of it, you kind of think a little bit more into it.

Brian 

Yeah. My review, which you should hopefully go read, opens with arguing that it’s kind of a lark and then ends with going, well, maybe it’s not. Oh, okay. So there’s a little preview of the get the idea that he is definitely playing with some serious ideas here, even with all the sight gags and goofy stuff that’s.

Chaz 

Happening, and even with all the I mean, his movies are always so cinematically, visually a beautiful aesthetic, right? Let’s talk about something else you’ve seen. Tell us about one. I think it’s called My Father’s Shadow.

Brian 

It’s Un Certain Regard.

Chaz 

And who is the director?

Brian 

Akinola Davies Jr. It’s a debut film. It’s one of the best debuts I’ve seen in years. It is clearly a very personal story. It takes place in Lagos, Nigeria, and it’s about two young boys whose father comes home after being away, and it’s just kind of a day trip they spend in the city. But there’s clearly other things going on there. It’s like a memory piece, like, did this really happen? Maybe it didn’t. Was it even really there? So it’s very poetic and beautiful. When I walked out of the movie in tears, and that hasn’t happened in a very long time for me. It’s a really beautiful, beautiful movie. It’s like, again, I cannot believe it’s a debut. 

Chaz 

I’m going to add that one to my list to see before I go.

Brian 

Sope Dirisu, who was in a show called Gangs of London and His House. People might recognize him. He’s wonderful. There’s a scene on the beach where he just talks about his life as a child and tries to pass wisdom on to his children. That I could have watched for hours.

Chaz 

What a recommendation. I love that there is a Brazilian film by Kleberg Mendoza Filho, Secret Agent. His films are always layered and nuanced. But tell us about that.

Brian 

Definitely. He did Bacurau, which was here a few years ago, and Aquarius, which I believe was here as well. He kind of pushes genre boundaries a little bit. This is a relatively traditional spy thriller sort of thing. It’s kind of hard to explain what it’s about without spoiling what it’s about.

Chaz 

We don’t want to do any spoilers.

Brian 

But Wagner Moura, who was in Civil War and has been doing a lot of U.S. films lately, has done in Dope Thief on Apple TV. He’s going back to Brazil, and he gives the best performance of his career. It’s this really layered, complex thing about it’s kind of got echoes of I’m still here, in other words, discussing it, going back in time to kind of talk about some current things as well, while also managing his unique genre pushing stuff without spoiling. It takes you a while to figure out what it is and get on his wavelength, but I found it ultimately very satisfying.

Chaz 

The director said that he was very enamored of some American movies, and particularly of the 70s.

Brian 

It feels like those 70s Lumet cop thrillers to a certain extent, but very culturally resonant at the same time. And it took me, maybe it was because it was 8:30 in the morning. It took me a while to figure out what it was doing. But when I got there, I really found it great.

Chaz 

All right. And what else have you seen here?

Brian 

Being my first Cannes, I’m struck at the breadth of the program in terms of veterans like Spike Lee, who’s premiering tonight, who’ve been coming here for 36 years, and yes, Akinola Davies Jr, who’s coming from Nigeria for the first time, and that they program to Nigerian film. I’ve seen films from Chile, I’ve seen films from the Netherlands. So you can see a film. Lynne Ramsay, who’s had five films in a row here, and then Harry Leighton’s Pillion was also Un Certain Regard, an excellent film. And that’s a debut. So you’ve got these debuts, and they prioritize debuts in that program for the Camera d’Or. But the debuts I’ve seen here have been stunning.

Chaz 

So one thing that I love about Cannes, after coming all of these years, they have all of these sections and people, tend to concentrate on the competition films, but there are so many interesting sidebars. Un Certain Regard. You know, Directors’ Fortnight just just a lot of different things. There’s so much to see, in fact, so much to see. You can’t see it all. So you have to pace yourself.

Brian 

I’ve tried to sample different parts to get the full feel of it, being my first one. I get my arms around it, and yeah, I’m going to see roughly 32 films, and that barely scratches the surface of the program. It’s just such a massive undertaking in terms of there’s a reason it goes two weeks, and you should stay two weeks. When people talk about the best films of Cannes, they should recognize they’ve only seen part of the program.

Chaz 

And I am so sorry that you can’t stay for the Critics Roundtable.

Brian 

That’s okay. Next year I will hopefully be able to.

Chaz 

But you get to walk the red carpet.

Brian 

I do.

Chaz 

Look at you. Very, very spiffy.

Brian 

I wasn’t planning on it, but the opportunity arose. And for Spike Lee, I’m not going to let that pass. Roger’s review of Do the Right Thing is one of the reasons I became a film critic. Seeing Do the Right Thing as a child shaped the way I look at the world. So this is a real full circle thing, and the idea that Do the Right Thing was here, and now this is here. I’m going to get emotional. It all kind of comes together in a way that I think is really beautiful.

Chaz 

And I’m happy. Well, I’m so glad that you’re having a great time at Cannes. Yeah. And I am going to say au revoir for now so that you can get ready to walk the red carpet, and we will see you for sure back in America. Thank you so much, Brian.

Brian 

Thank you. All right.

Chaz 

Throughout the festival, be sure to check in at RogerEbert.com for daily reports by our writers, along with our regular video reports. Until next time, au revoir.