I do understand the appeal of Wes Anderson‘s films, I swear. They are aesthetically very pleasing, with their often symmetrical imagery, fantasy pastel palettes and quirky narrative voice. The funny thing is, I’ve only seen three of his other movies, although I would not shelve the idea of watching more, yet there’s something about his movies that just don’t do it for me.
My personal preferences aside, I really do get it. I can see why many people – particularly film-lovers – love his movies. It just so happens that after every one I’ve seen, I feel underwhelmed by it. Is it because they are so hyped that I raise my expectations too highly? Possibly. With The Grand Budapest Hotel, I felt it too convoluted and hard to follow. I found Fantastic Mr. Fox eccentric and interesting… but mildly forgettable. Moonrise Kingdom was weird and wonderful, yet a little tedious. I get it. But I don’t. You know what I mean?
The French Dispatch is yet more what you’d expect from Anderson, if not a little more experimental. Presented as a magazine compiled from short stories, the film explores a memorial edition of the titular publication which celebrates three of its best stories: one focusing on an imprisoned artist, one revolving around student riots, and a third, which centres round a kidnapping.
Yeeeeeah I’m sorry, Wes, my mind hasn’t been changed: I just didn’t connect with this one… barely at all. If anything, this was my least favourite so far.
However, that’s not to say that there’s nothing positive to point out about it. What’s great about The French Dispatch is its ambition. The use of vignettes to take you through the pages of the titular magazine is an interesting and original concept, fuelled by Anderson’s love of The New Yorker. However, it all comes across as a little too pretentious as it goes on. I’m all for directors developing and trying new things – and we all know that Anderson is clearly on a mission to master every genre – but this one misses the mark for me.
Out of the three main mini-plots, “The Concrete Masterpiece” (the first short) is the best. Although it is quite lengthy, Benicio del Toro and Lea Seydoux make for intriguing and charismatic lead performers, and the story itself it’s enthralling and captivating for the most part. In fact, I’d have been more satisfied if the whole movie focused on these characters alone.
Before watching this movie, I truly thought I’d be more interested whichever story involved Frances McDormand since she’s one of my favourite actors working today. While it was shot wonderfully and her performance was as good as ever, her particular story dragged through no fault of her own. As for the third main story? I can barely even remember it. What happened? All I remember is Saoirse Ronan and a little kid. I’m not kidding.
I can see why people do like this film. Especially those who describe themselves as “film fanatics”. There’s no doubt that it’s full of style and wit. It’s just a matter of my opinion though that this is by no means my favourite Wes Anderson movie. Hoping that Asteroid City is more my thing, but I can’t imagine I’ll be hopping on the Anderson bandwagon any time soon.
The French Dispatch is currently available to stream on Disney+ in the UK.
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