The French Dispatch (2021)

Director: Wes Anderson

Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton

A love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional twentieth century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in “The French Dispatch Magazine”.

I wouldn’t call myself a die-hard Wes Anderson fan, because some of his movies are among my all-time favourites, I’m always interested in seeing his films. ‘The French Dispatch’, unfortunately, does not rate among my favourites.

Wes Anderson is back with his trademark and unique visionary style, interesting and plentiful dialogue, and quirky humor. Anderson regulars Owen Wilson, Bill Murray and Adrien Brody once again star in this comedy adventure.

‘The French Dispatch’ tells three stories – the first of which was the only one I enjoyed. It stars Benicio Del Toro as Moses Rosenthaler, who started painting in prison whilst serving a 50-year sentence. Adrien Brody stars as Julian Cadazio, who works for a gallery. When he discovers Rosenthaler’s painting, he sensationalizes it through clever marketing, attracting widespread interest in Rosenthaler’s work – and the gallery. This segment has a very good production design, and the dialogue is quick and hilarious. The character back stories are shown in black and white.

The second story is about a student revolution, which I found uninteresting and forgettable. With the start of the third story – uhm, what is it about again? – I became totally bored. This story, too, is ultimately forgettable. I will remember ‘The French Dispatch’ for the first story only, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

‘The French Dispatch’ earned $46 million on a $25 million budget. It received 147 award nominations, winning 25.

Would I watch it again? No.