The Films of Wes Anderson: The French Dispatch
Anderson’s 2021 anthology film has uneven and mixed results
The French Dispatch was the first of Anderson’s films that I saw in cinemas. I was too young to see any before Isle of Dogs released in 2018, and missed that due to simply being too busy at the time to get to the cinema for it. When The French Dispatch released, I wasn’t very interested in Anderson’s work, but I had an unlimited screening card for a cinema nearby and was, then, a second year student with a decent amount of free time on my hands. So, it made sense that I should at least take the opportunity to see Anderson’s then new film on the big screen.
To my surprise, I quite enjoyed it at the time. In retrospect, I feel that a decent amount of that enjoyment came from my initially quite low expectations for the film. Upon rewatching the film this morning, I didn’t enjoy it quite as much. Still, The French Dispatch is an impressive film on a technical level, with its performances and cinematography helping to ensure that the film is, at least, mildly enjoyable.
The problem with Anderson’s films at this point in his career, though I didn’t feel them with Asteroid City when I saw that this Summer, is that his style seems to have absorbed all that surrounds it. Anderson’s earlier films are, first and foremost…
