As a general rule, I liked most Wes Anderson movies and, furthermore, I like his vibe even if, on occasion, I don’t like his stories. And that’s true with The French Dispatch… it oozes his distant, arch narrative style and the visuals are Peak Anderson. The most Wes Anderson that’s ever been painted on screen. SO so SO Wes Anderson.

And yet I found this one ultimately too removed for its own good… to emotionless robot of him. I think that’s due to this being an anthology film telling three separate stories. In a regular full-length Wes Anderson ego trip, we get to spend enough time with the characters so we can get into their unique quirks and eccentricities. In this flick, I didn’t feel much for any of the characters before we moved onto another set with another group of Anderson stalwart actors.

That said, of the three main short films, I kind of enjoyed two of them well enough. The stories and settings were interesting, recognizing the cinematic history he was probably referencing was neat, and the actors game for his usual writing style. But the last short left me cold and bored and wishing it was over. Maybe by that point in the running time, I’d had it with the removed vibe or perhaps it was just a less interesting story.

Regardless of plot and character, the movie always looks amazing. I kept thinking what kind of budget this thing had that I don’t think too many sets were reused. Everything seemed uniquely built and uniquely shot. There are a couple segments where I suspect every practical trick in the book is used to emulate “bullet time” without using any CGI tricks. Every actor was simply standing stock still (sometimes obviously) and various props were probably suspended by wire. It was neat. I’m not sure what purpose it served but it did make me think….

…The next thing Wes Anderson should make is a Transformers movie but without a single one of his tics and tricks. Just make a generic over-the-top, loud, obnoxious Transformers flick and that would be the arch and droll bit of trolling he’d bring to the table. Nobody would be able to roll their eyes and say, “Oh that’s just Wes Anderson doing his thing”. I think it’d be his best joke.

Anyhow, The French Dispatch. It was alright.

Score: 78