Wes Anderson is at it again with his newest quirky creation, The French Dispatch, and it is truly glorious.
The film has stirred up hype thanks to its all-star cast, featuring impressive names including Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, Jeffrey Wright, Bill Murray, and Owen Wilson. There are even blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameos from Willem Dafoe, Elisabeth Moss, and Saoirse Ronan. The stars certainly do not disappoint: able to flex acting muscles not often engaged, they deliver Anderson’s lines with straightforward seriousness, ensuring the audience they’re in on the joke too. Jeffrey Wright as pseudo-James Baldwin, Tilda Swinton as the most entertaining TedTalk speaker you’ll ever encounter, Frances McDormand and Timothée Chalamet as lovers…what more could you ask for?
Based on Anderson’s love for The New Yorker, the film follows the creation and extinction of a French-based magazine published overseas. Complete with cartoon covers, story illustrations, and bylines, the film truly makes the audience feel as if they have been plopped in its fictional pages. It’s essentially an anthology, featuring three separate stories (and various color pieces) based on real articles published in The New Yorker, each with its own story, cast, and feel. The writing staff comes together at the end to mourn the passing of their editor Arthur Howitzer Jr. (Bill Murray), reflecting on their time together and Howitzer’s famous advice: “Try to make it sound like you wrote it that way on purpose.”
The stories themselves were wonderfully fun. Beautiful and pragmatic prison guards, young love, a revolution, outrageous art dealers, even a kidnapping. There is something so charming, so absurd, about it all. Some critics have complained about the confusing nature of the non-stop pacing and crazy connections, but The French Dispatch is not meant to be scrutinized. It’s a glorious romp through journalism and Anderson’s imagination, and is best viewed a little further back. Don’t focus too much on the details, and just enjoy the journey.
Anderson creates a beautiful world audiences will wish they could visit. Each corner of every frame is intricately detailed: from the stacks of books in bedrooms, to dirty prison uniforms, to overflowing dishes in dirty sinks, to the cigarettes scattered throughout (this is France, after all). Anderson also implements a color scheme that not only helps the film be a little less confusing, but is eye-catching and fun. Scenes set in the magazine’s offices and the “now” are vibrantly colored, and when set in the world of the story the color goes black and white — as if truly set amongst a typed page. It is these small details that prove how deeply Anderson and his team care about creating an experience. Nothing is there by accident — it is carefully crafted, so much time and effort put into every minute.
Take our advice: only watch this film if you’re not afraid to get weird. Anderson’s absurd, quirky humor and silly references are not for everyone. But for those that enjoy his signature style, The French Dispatch is everything and more. Just sit back and enjoy the (bicycle) ride…and watch out for subways.