The French Dispatch

2021 • 107 minutes

About this movie

From the visionary mind of Wes Anderson, THE FRENCH DISPATCH brings to life a collection of stories from the final issue of an American magazine published in the fictional 20th-century French city of Ennui-sur-Blasé. Many of the world's most beloved stars shine in this love story to journalists, including Benicio Del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Timothée Chalamet, Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Léa Seydoux, Stephen Park, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Lyna Khoudri, Mathieu Amalric, Christoph Waltz, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, Henry Winkler, Anjelica Huston and Bill Murray. Following the death of Arthur Howitzer, editor of The French Dispatch, Howitzer's staff convenes to write his obituary, leading to the creation of four stories: One, inspired by writer Herbsaint Sazerac (Wilson), is an unsettling travelogue of the seediest sections of the city. J.K.L. Berensen (Swinton) offers "The Concrete Masterpiece" about Moses Rosenthaler (Del Toro), a criminally insane painter, and his prison guard and muse (Seydoux). "Revisions to a Manifesto" by Lucinda Krementz (McDormand, whose character is an homage to The New Yorker's iconic writer Mavis Gallant), is a chronicle of love and death at the height of student revolt. And writer Roebuck Wright (Jeffrey Wright) pens a suspenseful tale of drugs, kidnapping and fine dining, cop style, with "The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner." THE FRENCH DISPATCH is filled with the intriguing, visually rewarding, complex, detailed and funny elements audiences have come to expect from writer-director Wes Anderson.

Ratings and reviews

I love Wes Anderson films. They are amongst my favorites. Maybe it is the departure from long format to short stories in The French Dispatch, but I couldn't make it through this one. Two stars for the dazzling child-like imaginative filmography that I've come to love from Anderson. But the film as a whole sat with me as a one star affair until I turned it off about 45 minutes in.

I have been a fan of Wes Anderson since, I think , the beginning. Love the quirky characters, the cinematography, the colors, and symmetry. I kept waiting for the character profiles to come together in this one. I kept looking for the theme of the movie to appear. I have to admit I abandoned the film at 3/4 through because I just didn't care anymore how it ended. Visually, it was still a great Wes Anderson film, but the story telling aspect was abducted by aliens.

I didn't finish watching the film. Pretentious. Wes Anderson needs to try a new production design. Story and acting were flat and unintetesting. As soon as the 3rd story started with Jeffrey Wright, I turned it off. A waste of money.