Rent The French Dispatch (2020)

The French Dispatch review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

Wes Anderson’s films always have a sense of meandering to them but The French Dispatch may be his most all-over-the-place movie. It’s an anthology picture that follows a handful of stories from the fictionalized titular magazine. His usual trope of actors returns, as do some bigger names of Timothy Chalamet and Jeffrey Wright. They have their cute moments, cruel moments, and charming moments throughout lavish and retro sets. Complete with French framing and light music touches, it’s a good-looking film with bursts of brilliance here and there.

The framing of the film is that The French Dispatch’s editor (Bill Murray) has died of a heart attack and the staff is called upon to fulfill his final wish of a farewell issue. While an obituary closes out the issue, the other stories proceed into other avenues. The Cycling Reporter is a light and breezy report of Ennui-sur-Blasé on a bike, noting how time has changed the area. Kind of a nothing opener but I guess Owen Wilson has to be placed somewhere in this crowded picture that requires sectioning.

Next comes The Concrete Masterpiece and it’s a decently quirky tale of art, criticism, and incarceration. Moses Rosenthaler (Benicio del Toro) is a prisoner for commits murder and spends his days creating artwork. His art attracts the eyes of an art dealer and tax-evasion prisoner Julien Cadazio (Adrien Brody). With a little encouragement, Julien manages to make Moses a big name in the art world. Despite the appeal for relevancy and fame, the deal goes south and crumbles into a series of fights and arguments. Posed in a non-linear fashion, this segment does a solid job at satirizing the art world, even posing Tilda Swinton as a snobby art presenter who reveals quite a bit of fragility and ignorance in trying to decipher Moses.

Revisions to a Manifesto is the more romantic segment. It features Timothée Chalamet as a student who is fascinated with revolution. He takes a romantic interest in a journalist played by Frances McDormand but is also drawn to another student played by Lyna Khouri. The satire is much drier in this segment for targeting the generational gap of observing and taking part in revolutions while also finding love in the world. It has its quirks but meanders perhaps more than it needs to for Anderson’s usually zippy pacing.

That pacing does pick up, however, in one of the last segments, The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner. Jeffrey Wright plays Roebuck Wright, a food journalist who finds himself fascinated with the police force. Wright channels James Baldwin's energy in how he narrates this story with great intrigue and exuberance. There’s an investigation into missing a prisoner and a kid held hostage, resulting in a darkly comedic stand-off and chase. There’s some poisoning, some shootouts, and a car chase. It is perhaps my favorite segment simply because Wright’s narration is such a treat to listen to as one of the newcomers to the Anderson troupe.

Finally, the obituary of the editor closes out the film. It’s a perfectly anti-climactic moment with a mixture of tears and dry wit about what the magazine meant to the many writers.

All of the visual flair one would expect from Anderson is present once more. I was, however, surprised to see some 2D animation present. During the car chase sequence of many visual gags, Anderson drops out of the black-and-white footage for a colorful animated sequence of amazing detail. It's a suitable choice considering that he usually favors practical effects for such scenes. Though one could easily compare it to the laziness of Cannonball Run, Anderson isn't exactly known for directing car chases so it's refreshing to see him direct such a sequence. It's enough to make one long for Anderson to pursue a 2D animated feature film.

The French Dispatch is far from Anderson’s best film but it’s still a fascinating enough film. I’m always a big fan of anthologies that can explore different types of stories. Anderson doesn’t venture too much out of his comfort zone but he does attempt just enough experiments in such a picture with another towering ensemble cast. Even at his worst, which may be the case with this film, Wes’s style remains firmly eye-catching and charming in this film.