The French Dispatch - Cheap Thoughts

In someways this might be the “Most Wes Anderson” movie he has made, your mileage may very on whether that is a positive or a negative, but it does feel astute. Wes Anderson as a filmmaker is so comfortable in his style and in it’s hard to fault him for it, while it’s absolutely understandable if he’s not your preferred cup of tea, there’s a prescence to him that is hard to replicate despite what some may believe. It’s not just a matter of being simetrical, but his films have a comfort to them. 

They are stylistic and quirky, sometimes funny but never laugh out loud funny, and above all charming. He creates environments you want to spend time in, characters you enjoy listening to, though the narratives are often what lets him down and where his weaker aspects as a writer begin to divide audiences. Strange a description as that may seem, even contradictory consider the film’s clear love of the written word, and for writers and storytellers of all forms.

The French Dispatch structure as an anthology film helps to hide most of these, designing itself as a visual component to a fictional magazine, each piece emphasises character and style above all else, most of which are told to the audience through Anderson’s frequent collaborators. In a sense this then leads to the film falling into the faults of the anthology structure itself rather than Anderson’s own, mainly being you walk away having your preferences, some stories are weaker than others and when the time is divided unevenly you risk the lesser of the stories taking up the majority screentime.

In truth there is little that needs to be discussed about The French Dispatch, it is simply another Anderson picture. If you are already a fan, you will enjoy this one all the same, if you are not, it is certainly not the piece to convince you otherwise, and if you have never seen an Anderson picture before, do not start with this one. Anderson & Co have finessed their formula down to the perfect detail with little desire to deviate, and in an age where the average audience’s diet consists of grey-goo like blockbusters with little subtance or presentation, if you have a delicious meal that succeeds in both why would you wish to deviate? No it is not going to be a dish for everyone, but frankly that’s not a bad thing. Anderson & Co will keep on creating work that appeals to them and if it appeals to you along the way then good for you, if not, keep on moving, you’ll find your dish eventually, just don’t ask them to change their’s to match your preferences.

-Danny