The French Dispatch

 It's about time for another eccentric Wes Anderson comedy. This time, he brings us stories from The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun. I'll give my thoughts on them as they come.

The titular newspaper, a pastiche of The New Yorker, ceases publication upon the death of founder and editor, Arthur Howitzer Jr. (Bill Murray). After Herbsaint Sazerac (Owen Wilson), the "cycling reporter," takes us on a tour of the town of Ennui-sur-Blasé, we're presented the three classic stories that make up the final issue.

The Concrete Masterpiece: J.K.L. Berensen (Tilda Swinton) chronicles Moses Rosenthaler (Benicio del Toro), an imprisoned mad artist and his muse and prison guard, Simone (Lea Seydoux). A shallow idiot named Julien Cadazio (Adrien Brody) agrees to buy his works. It's an easy partnership until Moses gets artist's block. 

Revisions to a Manifesto: Lucinda Krementz (Frances McDormand) gets a first-hand account of Zeffirelli (Timothee Chalamet), the leader of the "chessboard revolution." Let's just say it's more than first hand. 

The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner: Roebuck Wright (Jeffrey Wright) tells us about the crazy night he had dinner with the police commissioner (Mathieu Amalric), which is derailed when the commissioner's son Gigi (Winston Ait Hellal) is snatched by crooks. He also tells us about the commissioner's chef, Lt. Nescaffier (Stephen Park), who plays a part in resolving the matter.

These segments are co-written by Anderson with Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman and Hugo Guinness. Their tone ranges from dry wit, to melancholy, to silliness. I preferred the third segment with its madcap caper plot and a nice coda between Wright and Nescaffier as they bond over being ex-patriots. The second segment was OK, while the first one has delightful hamming from Del Toro and Brody. The first segment also has a great gag in the form of a running bribe counter.

These segments are almost always filmed by Robert D. Yeoman in black-and-white (with color when appropriate). It's a great way to emphasize certain details like one criminal's (Saorise Ronan) eyes. The third segment includes some exciting animated chases. Whether in monochrome or fullchrome, production designer Adam Stockhausen creates a vivid world in Ennui-sur-Blase. Milena Canonero's costume designs are just as splendid as her work in The Grand Budapest Hotel. The soundtrack includes a few oldies and another good Alexandre Desplat Score.

You're bound to miss a few faces in its huge cast. I didn't recognize Schwartzman as the Dispatch's cartoonist. We also have Willem Dafoe as an imprisoned accountant, Edward Norton as one of Gigi's kidnappers, Angelica Houston as the narrator and Liev Schrieber as the talk show host who interviews Wright, to name far more than a few. They're all a memorably quirky ensemble. 

This was supposed to come out summertime, last year. The French Dispatch arrives hot off the press at a fortunate time. Anderson's quirky comedy still lives. It's somewhat too long, but it's still an engaging character piece. There's plenty of stylish gags amidst its introspective story. Get your own first-hand accounts when you see this film.