Imma keep this succinct and sweet:
Wes Anderson is a top five director for me.
I love his art.
I enjoy his style.
I have specific Andersonian expectations for his works, and he delivered them in “The French Dispatch.”
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HOW-EFFING-EVER…this was mid. And I mean that with all of my Black ass heart.
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MID, bruh.
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Now, positives:
💗 Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez‘s performance as “Moses Rosenthaler” was a bit of a surprise. I really enjoyed it and if I ever re-watch this film, I’d probably stop it after his segment. His timing was great. His character was interesting, and I think he just got it right. Jeffrey Wright as “Roebuck Wright” a great one too. The styling brought me back to his “Muddy Waters” performance in “Cadillac Records (2008),” but the accents and voice cadence were definitely not the same. Lots more monologuing in this piece, and he was just super precise with it. That man be actin’.
💗 Loved the bit of animation during the third act. Effective and neat, and hit on signature Anderson style: symmetry, oddly specific dialogue, attention to detail, rich color, signature font, beautiful production designs, amazing costuming.
💗 Loved the cast. He knows how to blend in his staples with new faces. I loved Tony Revolori’s cameo as “Young Rosenthaler” and his and del Toro’s aging-up transition. Very not-so-subtle, and I appreciated the frankness. 🥰😌
💗 Loved the aspect ratio—nice creative decision, and felt unique and specific to the setting’s time.
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Negatives:
😟 Too many narratives, bruh. And I understand the prompt and theme of the screenplay, and I liked the exploration of the different sections of the diverse writers of the newspaper’s supplemental magazine, but damn was this shit working against its own quirks.
😟 The conclusion was bland. ‘Twas predictable, and given the topsy-turvy direction, I think a bombastic conclusion would have actually fit neatly.
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“The French Dispatch” got me during one of its final scenes with Wright and Stephen Park, who portrayed “Lt. Nescaffier,” as the spoke about being foreigners. The beautiful honesty in that moment was reflective and unexpected.