by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
Are you ready to journey into the quirky, symmetrical, and idiosyncratic world inside Wes Anderson’s brain? That question might seem like a lot, but Anderson’s films always feel like special events to experience. There are few directors with such singular visions of their work and how they can tell it to their audience. Over his career, his stories have gotten larger and more mature in their subject matter. I always thought that The Grand Budapest Hotel would go down as the most “Anderson” film of all… but then I witnessed The French Dispatch.
You probably expect to get plenty of fascinating technical achievements, but what is The French Dispatch? To me, the idea behind this film feels so clever and wonderful. I have seen plenty of anthology films in the past (especially horror ones), and they struggle to justify their connection and why they are presented as a collection. I don’t know if you would classify The French Dispatch as an anthology film, but it certainly felt that way to me. The founder and creative force behind the magazine, Arthur Howitzer, Jr. (played with a wry, yet fatherlike ease by Bill Murray), dies and the magazine will shut down as a result. After so many years, audiences are treated to a visual representation of their last issue. Each of the major writers get to express their perspective and story through voiceover. This idea seems like an experiment only Anderson would take on. Does it always deliver? There are certainly times where it feels overly stuffed, and some actors feel wasted, but what a wonderful experience it is to undertake.
Between the five segments of this last magazine, which one’s standout? Two of the segments bookend the film with Owen Wilson taking us on a tour of Ennui, including all the good and all the bad. This sets the stage for the audience to better understand the world we will be experiencing (and there are some darkly funny moments as well that Anderson can always find room for). We also experience the emotional eulogy writing session for Howitzer, which is a nice exclamation point on this ambitious film. But there is plenty of meat in the center of the sandwich (three layers to be exact). Each story is consistent in the dense utilization of famous actors (to the point where some feel truly underutilized) and a framing device where the famous writers of “The French Dispatch” tell their stories. Tilda Swinton’s J.K.L. Berensen gives a lively lecture on a fun and romantic courting of a prison artist and guard, Frances McDormand’s Lucinda Krementz explains her inspired journey back into her rebellious youth with a young revolutionary, and Jeffrey Wright’s Roebuck Wright expresses through an interview about a crazy journey he ventured on full of kidnapping, murder, car chases, and cooking. Without a doubt, Wright delivers the star performance of the film, and I hope he gets the recognition. I will leave the narrative there because I could write 10 pages just explaining the story because of how dense and intricate it is.
How about the technical aspects of the film? Before I jump into its visual flare, I must give some credit to Alexandre Desplat. At this point, I don’t know if an Anderson film will feel quite right unless Desplat lends his sensibilities to it. There are few composer-director combos who align so well as these two artists. The cinematography is just majestic in so many ways. Robert D. Yeoman can frame every shot perfectly and flows between black and white and color so effortlessly. The colors are wonderful in every shot and the production design is consistently elaborate and fitting to the world that Anderson creates. I even had an emotional reaction to one black and white to color transition because it was so strikingly beautiful (with a little help from the blue eyes of Saoirse Ronan). One of the most surprising elements is a wonderfully fun and crazy animated car chase that was so unexpected. Anderson has done so much in his career already and it is wonderful to see him continue to push the limits of his creative process.
Is The French Dispatch a top tier feature of Anderson? I may need to chew on that question for a long time and check it out again (this will benefit from repeat viewings). I compare it to The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Both films are so bold and out there in every way that they can be overwhelming. But every watch I have with Zissou, I love it even more. The French Dispatch will hopefully have the same legs with every view. But for now, this is a flawed but bold journey that challenges you as an audience member. If it reaches your wavelength, you will be in for a treat.
Grade: B+
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