Skip to main content

The French Dispatch (2021) Review

Full of Life

SCORE: 84/100

Directed by: Wes Anderson
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton

Synopsis: A love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional twentieth century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in "The French Dispatch Magazine".


****BEWARE POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD****


REVIEW:

This is my second Wes Anderson film after watching The Grand Budapest Hotel on the podcast a little while back. So does this one live up to the hype? Yes, but I'd temper your excitement by about 10%.

I'll jump into my two major criticisms first. First is its story. While it's interesting, funny, and well-written, the film really feels like a collection of stories that Anderson couldn't develop into full-length films. The film is supposed to feel like you're reading the eponymous magazine, but aside from loose connections to the overarching narrative, each "section" feels more like a separate story. My second criticism is that I feel the film doesn't really justify its existence. Due to its unconventional structure and style, I never really felt that it was a necessary watch. It feels like it was made purely to fit into Anderson's catalogue. 

However, I do not want my criticisms of the film to detract from how good everything else is about the film. It's a gorgeous film to look at, with every frame packed with so much detail that it's going to demand a rewatch. Anderson uses the entire screen to great effect, managing to actually surprise me at a later point in the film with some unique split screen action. He also uses black and white film mixed with color to a beautiful point.

Acting here is up with Grand Budapest as the entire cast is on their A-Game. My entire review could be filled with just talking about the cast. The true standouts here are Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, and Timothee Chalamet. That's not to discount anyone else's performances though, as everyone truly carries their weight. 

That's about it, I know it's a shorter review, but it's a Wes Anderson film. You can go in expecting it performances, writing, and execution to be near perfect. Even if its structure isn't always 

Conclusion: Despite an odd structure, The French Dispatch is more Wes Anderson goodness to love. It's a funny and extremely well-acted ride that's as fun as it is smart. 

Score: 84/100

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Batman (2022) Review SPOILER FREE

 Riddle Me This SCORE:  89 /100 Directed by: Matt Reeves Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano Synopsis: When the Riddler, a sadistic serial killer, begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, Batman is forced to investigate the city's hidden corruption and question his family's involvement. ****I WILL DO MY BEST, BUT BEWARE POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD**** REVIEW: I went into The Batman with high expectations. The character has one of the best track records in Hollywood, and I was excited to see on of the most underrated actors today picking up the mantle of Bruce Wayne and Batman. What followed was a matching of my expectations, and while not as perfect a film as The Dark Knight was, The Batman more than holds its own in the character's filmography. Let's start with my two main critiques. First up is the pacing of the movie. While it is almost three hours, it never really feels that way. However, there were a couple of sequences that could have been sho...
Post a Comment
Read more

Slipknot's Self Titled Album (1999) Review

An Incredible Debut Artist: Slipknot Album: Slipknot Year: 1999 Band Lineup for Album: Sid Wilson - DJ/Samples, Joey Jordison - Drums, Paul Gray - Bass, Chris Fehn - Percussion, Jim Root - Guitar, Craig Jones - Samples, Shawn Crahan - Percussion, Mick Thomson - Guitar, Corey Taylor - Vocals No one knew in 1999 that the landscape of music would've changed dramatically and violently with the release of Slipknot's self titled debut album. I'm not too clear on the history of the metal genre as a whole, but almost every musician out there always points to this album as one of the best debut albums ever, and gave rise to one of the biggest bands of all time. I discovered the album in middle school because of some friends of mine, and it easily played into the edgy music that I wanted to hear at the time. While some may look back on their favorite albums from their childhood and see a lot of cringe, I can safely look back at this album with a renewed love after listening to it aga...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Suicide Squad (2021) Review

Deadly Good SCORE: 88 /100 Directed by: James Gunn Starring: Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, Peter Capaldi, David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchior, Michael Rooker. Alice Braga, Pete Davidson, Sean Gunn, Taika Waititi, Mayling Ng, Sylvester Stallone, Viola Davis Synopsis: Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker, and a collection of D-list supervillains join the shady Task Force X, and are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.  ****BEWARE POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD**** REVIEW: There was no way this wasn't going to be better than 2016's Suicide Squad. That film was poorly written, poorly executed, and mostly poorly acted. I'm glad to report that the new film from James Gunn, director of Guardians of the Galaxy, is a complete reversal of that. Even if it doesn't quite stick the landing.  Notably, James Gunn was announced to direct this after being fired from Marvel and before his subsequent rehiring. He is undoubtedly ...
Post a Comment
Read more