PLOT: A collection of stories commissioned by the editor (Bill Murray) of The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun. In the first, a jailed murderer (Benicio del Toro) becomes a sensation in the art world after painting a portrait of his jailer (Léa Seydoux). In the second, a veteran journalist (Frances McDormand) becomes involved with a student uprising’s charismatic leader (Timothée Chalamet). And finally, in the third, a critic (Jeffrey Wright) witnesses the kidnapping of the chief of police’s son by anarchists.
REVIEW: To enjoy a Wes Anderson movie, you have to surrender yourself to it. While he’s mostly adored, every few movies or so, one comes out that gets unfairly roasted by critics, perhaps partly so they can say his next film is a comeback. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Darjeeling Limited received this treatment, and now The French Dispatch is receiving those same mixed reviews.
To be sure, if you’re not already a Wes Anderson fan, The French Dispatch will not be the film that wins you over. It’s also worth noting that while an entirely pleasant, enjoyable film, The French Dispatch is not one of his best films. Yet, second-tier Anderson, just like second-tier Scorsese, is still better than a lot of the other stuff that’s out there.
Packed to the gills with whimsy, this is Anderson’s version of an anthology film, and like most movies of that ilk, it’s a mixed bag. One of the stories is terrific, while the other two are more inconsistent (but still interesting). Part of the issue some critics may be having is that the first story is the best, with it focusing on Benicio del Toro’s love-lorn killer. While in jail, his work draws the attention of an incarcerated art dealer (Anderson regular Adrien Brody), who turns him into an icon. Del Toro is a treat in rare comedic form, but he also gives the character some genuine pathos, in his unrequited (in some form) love for his guard, Léa Seydoux‘s Simone, who nonetheless doesn’t mind being his muse.
The second story is almost as good but more sprawling and prone to tangents. It satirizes the famous French student movements of the late sixties, with Timothée Chalamet’s Zeffirelli, their leader. If any new actor seems born to be in an Anderson movie, it’s Chalamet, with his big hair and whispy mustache. He plays well off Frances McDormand’s seen it all cynic.
The third is the most scattershot, although it’s anchored by an outstanding performance by Jeffrey Wright as the paper’s James Baldwin-Esque critic. It turns into a big caper that reaches one of Anderson’s trademark emotional crescendos. Still, the problem is that the second story had a similarly emotional ending, and two in a row dilutes the impact of both. I suppose this is the big pitfall of anthology films.
It goes without saying that the cast is perfect, with three newcomers to Anderson’s repertory company, the dominant performers, Benicio del Toro, Timothée Chalamet and Jeffrey Wright. They each anchor their respective segments, although plenty of his regulars get juicy roles, with Murray the boss at the paper, they’re all trying to please. Some of the biggest names, like Edward Norton, Willem Dafoe, and Saoirse Ronan, have tiny parts, but they all make memorable contributions. Some, like Jason Schwartzman and Elizabeth Moss, only have walk-ons.
Visually, the film is stunning, with it mainly in the old 1:33:1 academy ratio Anderson and DP Robert Yeoman used in The Grand Budapest Hotel, although most of the film is in black and white this time. Once again, Alexandre Desplat’s music is the perfect soundtrack to an Anderson film, and it’s hard at this point to think of anyone else writing a score for him.
While The French Dispatch will probably only inspire eye-rolls and shrugs among his detractors, as a fan, this film was a joy to watch from start to finish, even if I knew I wasn’t watching one of his masterworks. I imagine it’ll be similar to his other, less loved movies, whose reputations will grow in time (people are always shocked when I tell them critics didn’t like The Life Aquatic). If you’re a fan, it’s a must-see, and I imagine at this point he has more fans than not.
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