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It’s time to step back into the old Wes Andersonian time machine to explore a fondly remembered era for journalists and print magazines. In today’s episode of The Cinematic Schematic, we’re joined by I Can’t Unsee That Movie‘s Jeff Huston to review Wes Anderson’s new movie, The French Dispatch.
It’s been twenty-five years since Wes Anderson made it big with his feature film directorial debut, Bottle Rocket. In the years since, his films have dabbled in stop motion animation with The Fantastic Mr. Fox and Isle of Dogs, taken a trip under the sea in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and traveled to the past and back again in The Grand Budapest Hotel. His exotic adventures in filmmaking have garnered him a reputation as he’s developed a very distinct style and often divisive voice for some filmgoers. Despite consistently working with some of the biggest movie stars in the business like Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, and many others, he’s reached a point where he’s unlikely to win over new viewers, but what new does his “ode to journalism” bring to the table for his most devoted fans?
The French Dispatch is an anthology of stories following journalists writing for the titular magazine under the direction of Arthur Howitzer Jr.(Bill Murray) before his sudden and untimely death. Per Howitzer’s last wishes, the final issue republishes three stories along with his obituary. The stories include “The Cycling Reporter,” by Herbsaint Sazerac (Owen Wilson), “The Concrete Masterpiece,” with J.K.L. Berensen (Tilda Swinton), detailing the story of an incarcerated artist, Moses Rosenthaler (Benicio Del Toro), “Revisions of a Manifesto,” an undercover story following a group of student protestors by Lucinda Krementz (Frances McDormand), and “The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner,” an unexpectedly emotional and action-packed tale written by Roebuck Wright (Jeffrey Wright). Much like a magazine, these stories all work together to highlight the greater truths regarding journalism from the French publication distributed in the state of Kansas.
We start the podcast with a spoiler-free discussion about our history with Anderson’s oeuvre before giving our recommendations on The French Dispatch followed by an analysis-driven spoiler discussion. In the spoiler discussion, we dive into how the film is a tribute to newspapers, Anderson’s fascination with nostalgia, and how the famed auteur’s visual style continues to evolve and take on new meaning with each passing story.
Tune into our full review for the full verdicts!
Special Guest
Jeff Huston
Film critic at I Can’t Unsee That Movie
President of the Oklahoma Film Critic’s Circle
Follow Jeff on Twitter @cantunseemovie
According to IMDB, The French Dispatch can be described as:
“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.”
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