As I've delved into Wes Anderson's filmography a little more ever since I fell in love with The Grand Budapest Hotel, I've discovered that my passion for that film might be because well...it's his most "normal"-ish film.
While I really enjoyed (but arguably overrated) Isle of Dogs, and I found myself liking, not loving Moonrise Kingdom, it's obvious to me that I'm woefully understudied with his filmography.
In that regard, take this review with a grain of salt, particularly if you are a Anderson die-hard.
The French Dispatch, his newest, star-studded quirk extraordinaire, is an interesting film where I feel like there's a lot to unpack and rewatch, but I don't really have the desire to watch it again a second time.
Interestingly similar to a [great] film I recently reviewed, The French Dispatch tells its story in three parts. It's here where I was disappointed in the film the most because they essentially play like 3 mini-movies, not really having much to do with one another, and I think Anderson is already confusing/weird enough that the triple (kinda, sorta quadruple) narrative mixed with his style makes it hard to connect with the characters and movie as a whole.
Across several articles being written for the magazine, "The French Dispatch", which brings French customs and news to Kansas, of all places, we are introduced to various writers and those responsible for publishing before delving into three separate stories across Arts, Politics, and Food/Drink. Part of me wonders if there was an earlier version of this film that was - for lack of a better idea - a "newsroom" quirk" - among the writers and chief editor (Bill Murray). Given the star power of our writers alone, Owen Wilson, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, and Jeffrey Wright, I feel as if that could have been a compelling narrative...but alas. It's during this opening that Anderson's best tendencies come out. For starters, the film is distinctly an Anderson film visually, belonging to a universe all its own while still being familiar to us and, from a filmmaking perspective, his movies are exquisitely beautiful and I appreciate their long-take editing, and centered cinematography. His humor is also in full-force here, with some of the funniest bits coming out early, particularly Owen Wilson's "guide through France" on a bicycle, which features pre-teen boys hyped up on the Blood of Jesus Christ, aiming to cause commotion (it's as funny as it sounds).
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| "Now wait a damn second...this isn't the spice planet!" |
We eventually move to our first segment in the Arts, with key performances from Benicio Del Toro, Lea Seydoux, Tilda Swinton, and Adrian Brody. While all their performances are top-notch, it's here where I began to realize that French Dispatch was going to be "just good" as there's nothing truly stand out or special in this first segment outside of the visuals and typical "quirk". It's perfectly serviceable as a contained story, with a handful of laughs, but individually I'm not sure it makes a huge impact.
That leads us to the Politics section, prominently featuring Timothee Chalamet (who's having a very big weekend), and Frances McDormand. Despite again just liking this section, it's here where I found Anderson's worst tendencies came out, mostly among lines of dialogue that are verbose and confusing, almost for the sake of it. In hindsight, it's also the segment with the least actual story from start to finish, but sharing equal-ish screentime with the others (give or take a few mins), leading to a middle section that has ample star power, but not much else.
Our final section is in Food & Drink, which was my favorite of the three. It is predominately led and narrated by Jeffrey Wright who gives the best performance of the film. As you can tell, I'm not telling any story details aside from the section of the magazine they occur in, but I found this one to be the most engrossing, best written, and overall entertaining. There's even a hilarious and gorgeous animated section here that changes up the pace and, being near the end of the film, gives it some energy.
As several hours have passed from viewing The French Dispatch - and in the iconic Mayan Theater in Denver for the first time in probably 2+ years, no less! - I've found myself separating its components and almost grading them individually. The score you see below is a semi-average (with no real mathematical rigor behind it), also taking into account that I think I'll like it more with more time to noodle than if you'd asked me right outside the theater doors. Hardcore Anderson fans will get all they want here, while general audiences will likely be hit or miss...but I feel like that's typical for the iconic director more often than not.
CONS
- Felt a little too long, likely thanks to a middle "story" that didn't have much to do
- Speaking of the middle story, it was my least favorite. Never bad, but just a bit dull and a bit pretentious
- I wished - perhaps unfairly - for a more collective narrative, particularly after the intro stuff was so interesting
- Feel like too much of it was in black-and-white when you have such a distinct, wonderful color palette
- Anderson's direction and art style are out in full force, much to my delight. Particularly:
- Editing: it's full of long takes that fit the film, even with action elements
- Cinematography: distinct visuals and centering
- Colors: his abundance of color (when it's here)
- Music: typical, quirky music that fits every scene seamlessly
- Per usual, the cast is magnificent. Owen Wilson got the biggest laughs, and Jeffrey Wright had the best performance
- Overall a fun collection of stories where the final one is the best and the whole story, while disjointed, is still good
Rath's Review Score | 7/10
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