326 - The French Dispatch

The French Dispatch, Wes Anderson's love letter to The New Yorker, is, as you might expect, a charming way to pass a couple of hours - but not as funny or as tight as we might like, and certainly a disappointment in the light of his last two films, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Isle of Dogs (although, in fairness, reaching those heights even twice, let alone a third time consecutively, would be a big ask for anybody). Still, despite The French Dispatch's pleasures, some gorgeous imagery and a terrific, star-packed cast, we're left asking what it's all about, really - is it more than a vaguely diverting trifle based on Anderson's favourite publication? And why can't an ode to an icon of American sophistication be set in America? Recorded on 31st October 2021.