Hilarious Anthology Movie Is The Best Work Of Auteur Filmmaker
Fans of Wes Anderson have lauded the quirky filmmaker as one of the greatest artists of his generation for years. While Anderson has a litany of excellent films under his belt, not all of them manage to weave extremely thoughtful dialogue with fascinating shot composition and an excellently crafted story quite like 2021’s The French Dispatch.
For my money, this anthology film, which is currently streaming on Hulu, is Wes Anderson’s finest body of work thus far, even beating out such classics as The Royal Tenenbaums, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Moonrise Kingdom.
Eccentric Tales Of A Newspaper
The French Dispatch, also stylized as The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun, centers on the written tales and adventures of the eclectic writers employed by the titular magazine. At the very beginning of the film, we learn that the editor-in-chief of the publication, Arthur Howitzer Jr., has died of a sudden heart attack, prompting a final farewell issue of the magazine per his rigid instructions.
The following anthology tales represent the entries in the final issue, beginning with a brief cycling tour of the fictional French town of Ennui-sur-Blasé.
A Love Letter To A Classic Magazine
Subsequent installments in The French Dispatch‘s farewell copy include a tale of a mentally disturbed artist who painted a universally beloved masterpiece from the interior of a prison, an account of the so-called “Chessboard Revolution” which rocked the streets of Ennui as military police clash with protesting students, and a daring recount of a cat and mouse game after the Ennui police commissioner’s son is kidnapped by a gang of criminal conspirators.
While each of these tales is wholly fictional and created for the narrative of the film, they are designed to bear a resemblance to a number of non-fiction reports penned for The New Yorker, as Anderson’s love letter to the prestigious publication.
The Usual Anderson Ensemble Of Huge Stars
Like many Wes Anderson films, The French Dispatch touts a massive ensemble of talented A-listers in the cast. Still, this film packs an obscene amount of on-screen talent, even by Anderson’s usual standards, with starring roles for Benicio Del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, Jeffrey Wright, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Henry Winkler, and many more. A brief glance at the film’s poster reveals just how stacked the full cast truly is, almost resembling an Avengers: Endgame-sized lineup.
Fans Debate The Best Anderson
I’m aware that many Wes Anderson fans consider his early work to be his best, though I personally feel that the filmmaker is only getting better and better with time. For some reason, I failed to connect with a lot of Anderson’s earlier work, though his latest films, such as The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs, and Asteroid City, have made me a bonafide fan.
Available On Hulu
REVIEW SCORE
For my money, The French Dispatch is the best work the director has ever done, as the verbose swaths of dialogue, humorous smash-cuts, and heady outcomes of each story get better and better with each subsequent rewatch.
If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of checking this film out, or you’re just desperately in need of a rewatch, be sure to stream The French Dispatch on Hulu now.
