After a three year absence, Wes Anderson returns to cinemas with his comedic ode to journalism and storytelling. Releasing in limited theaters last week, it hits general cinemas this Friday.
His newest opus, The French Dispatch is one hundred percent purely unfiltered and unadulterated Anderson doing his damnedest to outdo himself with a set of three vignettes that tell distinct stories from a fictional newspaper led by (the always amazing) Bill Murray's editor, Arthur Howitzer Junior. While it bears all the markers that his fans have come to know and love, this is the most painful to watch in his entire film catalog. It has no greater message and is so undeniably meta-Anderson that it quickly becomes an ambitious creative annoyance that wastes a slew of talented actors on tongue in cheek repetition that does nothing good for its audience.
Falling back on his typically amazing set design, costuming, and some relatively fabulous editing, The French Dispatch is a solid misfire that relies too heavily on Anderson's known works. This is rinse/repeat to a tee. To say it plays it safe is an understatement. Here, Anderson treads water with a mildly provocative feature that doesn't take full advantage of its anthology style. Sure, there is the a-typical Anderson charm that carries us from story to story, but the overall final form of the feature is slow moving, self aware to a fault and overly uncomfortable to watch.
There is no real connection to the characters as every line of the script is subservient to Anderson's aesthetic. And there lies the problem. With The French Dispatch, he functionally trades story for filmed art and it becomes a distraction. It sure is beautiful to look at, but gone is the Anderson of yore. He's so caught up in his own stylistic film making style that (dare I say?) he becomes a stunning bore that's caught up in his own trap of not dedicating to a single bit of character development or connectivity. Where his Grand Budapest Hotel and The Darjeeling Limited came up with intricate stories of human growth and familial bonding, this one has no emotional depth at all.
Hiding behind a cast that features Timothée Chalamet, Benicio Del Toro, Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, Lea Seydoux, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand and dozens of others, The French Dispatch may be a win for his die hard fan base. And don't get me wrong. There are some wonderful quips and a few laughs that help carry the sluggishness of his latest film but a strong edit that features black and white to color crossovers just because, puppet show visuals, and a variable narrative that never finds a footing is never going to win over general audiences.
Perhaps, the joke is lost on me. But many great directors find ways to change in time. They attempt dynamism in their projects. Anderson seems to be stuck on one thing and it's becoming a tired phenomenon that has potentially run its course. This is not a slight on those that love his works. Personally, I've been there egging him on from day one. But, The French Dispatch is a lesson in too much is just way too much. The irony of his characters is becoming played out at this point.
-CG
