Filled with charming moments, odd characters, and more Wesisms that you can shake a baguette at, The French Dispatch is all you could ask for from Mr. Anderson and then some. Pulling in almost every actor from his universe, it more than makes the long wait for its arrival seem irrelevant.
Made up of several chapters all told under the guise of being included on the pages of a fictitious publication called The French Dispatch, Wes gets to satisfy his stated claim of always wanting to do a series of short stories. He also gets to include another of his favourite storytelling mediums, animation, this time a hilarious car chase scene.
Not a single frame goes by without a look or feel of his unique art and it fills the screen with amusement even when the story being told loses its focus slightly. Not every story hits its mark completely and one, in particular, could have used some judicious editing as it runs a bit long.
Transporting one to a unique environment is one of cinema’s greatest charms and Wes Anderson is one of the industry’s most assured partitioners. As the final credits roll you are left with the feelings of having just visited a wonderful and enchanting world. One that pales in comparison to the reality we almost all live in.
Rob Hudson
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