The French Dispatch

By Joanna Langfield

Wes Anderson’s love song to journalism may not be 100%, but it sure made me giggle with delight.

Never straying far from his signature, unique style, Anderson brings us into the offices of an American journal, in a French city, some years ago. The tough but beloved editor (Bill Murray) has passed away and the forlorn staff gathers, remembering the support he gave them to write some of their possibly quirkiest work. We see those stories come to life here, organized like a New Yorker anthology, with a table of contents, a few goofy moments as well as three accounts, more in depth. Two of the three films within the film are, in fact, based on actual New Yorker publications.

You don’t have to love France or journalism to enjoy what goes on here, but it sure feels sweet if you do. Still, the individual stories are arresting on their own, telling us of incarcerated artists, kidnappings and the student riots of May, 1968. And what a cast brings them to us. Feast your eyes on talent including Benicio Del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Owen Wilson, Jeffrey Wright and Timothee Chalamet. And enjoy the show.