The French Dispatch
★ ★★ ½
Oh, how I love Wes Anderson. It's hard to think of another filmmaker that has a complete style of his own, yet is able to keep his movies fresh and innovative. His composition and camera movements are exquisite, yet, never tiresome. Though there is much to admire about The French Dispatch, this was one of the first times that I struggled with the content of the film. I felt like I had been invited to a dinner party that I underdressed for. I've never been one to know a lot about French culture, nor do I know if this is the film to teach me about such things, but there is clearly a passion that Anderson has for this world that felt distant to me. He lays out this film as a magazine spread would by creating an anthology. He uses this format to also showcase the plight of the writer and though all the parts work together, it's hard not to favor one chapter over another (I particularly was enamored by The Concrete Masterpiece). But like a magazine, not all the articles are written the same. Inherently, people like variety and although this wasn't my favorite "issue" of Wes Anderson's, I'll always subscribe to what he creates.
