FRENCH DISPATCH HYPE or what it really all is about

As plenty of others people already went through the Wes Anderson new movie "The French Dispatch" I could not wait to see what was the hype all about. Quoted as "finally a film for people with New Yorker tote bags", and released in 2021, people were craving for another visually stunning Wes Anderson masterpiece, a carefully crafted work of art. 

As palette of quality stars which seem to reappear with every single one of the newer movies was a given, I was really expecting high quality entertainment for a Friday night. 

The French dispatch did not spark such strong emotions with me as The Grand Budapest hotel or The Isle of Dogs, his previous films that he became positively acknowledged for, especially the former. It was certainly not because of the Anderson's incompetence, but French Dispatch seems to fail at entertaining the author at particular parts of the film. 

Tilda Swinton as J. K. L. Berensen, Source: news.artnet.com

The story of a fictional newspaper called The French Dispatch bears similarity with the real life story of Harold Ross, the punctual and obsessive editor-in-chief of the NewYorker, one of the biggest newspapers in the entire world. He is impersonated by Bill Murray, who plays the role of Arthur Howitzer Jr. 

They have in common various things - as for example the travel to fulfil their work needs (Howitzer Jr. stays in a small village Ennui-sur-Blasé, Ross leaves Colorado for New York). Similarly, character played by Adrien Brody is an impersonation of Lord Duveen, an art dealer, also profiled in New Yorker magazine back in 1952. Thus, we can see many fiction-real life connections.

Movie itself is not bad, but the thing is, it does not stand out either. I dare say that due to corona related reasons of having to wait for the film so long, or mine pretty high expectations the movie has hit me as eyecatching yet hard-to-focus-on. Compared to the Grand Budapest hotel, which entailed a grand detective/adventure story, the plot of the French Dispatch is segmented into introduction and 3 pieces, starting with the art story, featuring Tilda Swinton and Benicio del Toro. The story of a serial murderer that falls in love with the prison wardress (played by Léa Seydoux) is bewildering at first, but when the pattern of the film changes and plot turns to another storyline, audience might find it hard to re-focus on the new plot that unravels immediately.  

To me, most heart-wrenching part of the film was the manifesto part. Students go crazy as to refuse the war through chess revolution resembles the protests against war and violence on Ukraine, that has been happening very recently. 

Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, Lina Khoudri. Revisions of a manifesto. Source: nme.com

The strength of the message when one of the actors selected for "theatre play" in the film commits suicide because of the horrors of the war is self-explanatory in why we should oppose the war. Based on traditions of Remarque and his pacifist notions, whole small story is about bunch of students overthrowing the conventional rule of the city due to the anti-war proclamations none of the adults seem to accept. Written as a homage to Mavis Gallant, a Canadian writer who spent most of her life in France as a journalist and depicted student protests of '68 that are also reflected in the story. The character is played by Frances McDormand and perfectly complements with these years' sex idol Timothée Chalamet. 

The trilogy is closing up by the story of Roebuck Wright, played by Jeffrey Wright. The story of a kidnapping and perfect police chef was the crazy jumpy detective story that you would expect the story to finish with. My personal favourite was the mini-part that was given to Saoirse Ronan, already known as a Lady Bird or Louise from Little Women, who played the mysterious prostitute. Wes Anderson also experiments with combination of animation and real life play, which results in a catchy pair of action and arts. 

All in all, The French Dispatch provides the viewers with one-of-a-kind experience that can only be provided by Wes Anderson. Picturesque landscapes, star cast, everything takes care of a perfect movie night that you may spend with the tiny world of American journalist expats. However, do not try to compare it with Anderson's previous films as you will likely end up disappointed. 

Sources:

https://screenrant.com/french-dispatch-movie-true-story-real-magazine-inspirations/