Review of The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun (2021) by Moviemitch96 — 05 Nov 2021

The latest outing from whimsical cult-favorite director Wes Anderson sees the chief of a popular journalist column known as The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun passing away suddenly, prompting a look into their last issue that takes a look at some of their stories over the years, ranging from a death row inmate who falls in love with and frequently paints one of the guards while finding himself at odds with an eager art dealer, a young man and his relationship with a much older journalist while he's writing a manifesto in the midst of a school-wide revolution, and another journalist who finds himself in the midst of a kidnapping/hostage situation involving a young boy.

Anybody who's familiar with Anderson's directorial style will surely know what they're getting into with this, as he seems to fully embrace his signature whimsy and charm more and more with each new release of his, and this film is certainly no exception to that.

Zippy dialogue and zany and colorful set pieces are plentiful here, with just a twinge of absurdism mixed throughout to create just the right blend of humor and intrigue. The film also uniquely and cleverly makes use of several aesthetics without coming off as gimmicky, such as switching back and forth between black and white, playing around with aspect ratios, and even switching between live action and comic book-style animation on occasion.

As for the cast, it's stacked with a-list talent as you can see on the poster, and it's impossible to single anybody out since everybody here is just so enjoyable and endearing to watch! Those who know Anderson best will recognize his usual players, such as Bill Murray, Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, Tilda Swinton, Willem Dafoe, and Edward Norton just to name a few.

We also get some great supporting turns from the likes of Francis McDormand, Benicio Del Toro, and Timothee Chalamet to name a few more. Story-wise, there's plenty of entertainment enjoy to be found in each of the segments throughout the film.

Really my only note would be that it feels a little TOO Wes Anderson-y, so those who aren't a fan of his or his style likely won't be won over with this film, quite the opposite probably, cause he's definitely not for everybody.

Overall though, well there's not much in the way of story or narrative here, the cast is a delight to watch, the stories are all unique and enjoyable in their own way, and Anderson is in full command of his trademark aesthetic and style here, for better or worse.