The French Dispatch: What Fans Are Saying About Wes Anderson’s Latest Movie
The award-winning filmmaker is back!
Wow, are these next few months a great time to be a cinephile! There’s something special about finding a distinct filmmaker you really love and catching their next movie. Wes Anderson is the kind of writer/director who has stayed consistent over the years with his style, yet found new ways to tell stories and use his aesthetics in different settings. His latest movie is The French Dispatch, and it stars a host of talented actors he’s worked with before like Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, and Tilda Swinton, along with some new faces to his movies, including Timothée Chalamet and Jeffrey Wright. Let’s see what film fans thought of the whimsical release.
First of all, critics are loving The French Dispatch overall. It’s not a total surprise, seeing as how Wes Anderson movies have remained critically-acclaimed since the release of his first film in 1996, Bottle Rocket. From the reviews, it looks like the movie isn’t necessarily unexpected if you’re aware of the filmmaker’s style, but it also manages to stay endearing and fresh. Audiences also seemed to really dig The French Dispatch, considering what people are posting online about the release. Here’s what fans are saying about the artsy movie from The Grand Budapest Hotel director.
It’s Another Winner For Timothée Chalamet Amidst Dune
The biggest movie in the world right now is Dune, which stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in a sci-fi epic. Funny enough, The French Dispatch first hit theaters on the same day as Dune in select theaters, before going wide to more audiences last weekend. It’s very rare for the same actor to double-head a movie theater’s offerings, but here we are! Audiences are of course taking notice of Chalamet’s big weekend.
Dune & The French Dispatch dominated the weekend box office. In Timothee We Trust pic.twitter.com/WtNggSjn1COctober 24, 2021
The actor is just 25 and becoming a worldwide star after previously finding roles in movies like Call Me By Your Name and Little Women. Apparently, he’s becoming a household name these days and people are taking notice as they see The French Dispatch:
French Dispatch was beautiful and cute. An old couple behind me in the theatre: "My favourite part was with Timothée." A household name with every generation ☺️October 31, 2021
Timothée Chalamet is among a massive cast in The French Dispatch, also including Benicio Del Toro, Adrien Brody, Léa Seydoux, Frances McDormand and Henry Winkler. Even so, it sounds like the young actor is a real highlight of the movie.
need to watch the Frances McDormand/Timothée Chalamet section of The French Dispatch several hundred more timesOctober 25, 2021
It’s also a rare possibility for audiences to go see Dune and The French Dispatch in the same day or week. Let the Chala-week continue at the movies, because both films seem like real winners.
The Visuals Are Blowing Audiences Away
Wes Anderson is well known for his distinct visual style, notably often centering his subjects in his images and making use of specific color palettes in his movies. It turns out Anderson did not shy away from the kind of visually gorgeous films people remember him for in The French Dispatch, considering how much people are gushing over it, right down to the posters.
CINEMABLEND NEWSLETTER
Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News
the french dispatch posters are my favourite thing ever !!!!! pic.twitter.com/XLpbO8IyN1October 30, 2021
The French Dispatch is a “love letter to journalists” and set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional French city. Another fan remarked on the visual style of the movie after checking it out, likening the filmmaker to a ‘cartoonist’ who works in live-action.
I saw The French Dispatch and it really crystalized in my mind that Wes Anderson is essentially a cartoonist who works in the medium of live action cinema, and almost all of the formal stylistic tics he has are essentially totally normal comics things transposed to filmOctober 30, 2021
Anderson is a rare filmmaker in that you can always tell you’re watching one of his movies, but at the same time, each one of them has a slightly different aesthetic. The French Dispatch makes use of more pastel colors like sky blue, blush pink and bright orange. Even someone who didn’t necessarily like the movie had to take a moment to share their love for the cinematography, as well:
While it gets a tad too dense (and overindulgent) at times, THE FRENCH DISPATCH is still an impeccable piece of work from the GOAT Wes Anderson. Performances are terrific, and the cinematography is, as expected, *to fucking die for*. Loved it. pic.twitter.com/X87t6xwGygOctober 29, 2021
And there we have it, another Wes Anderson movie that is a feast for the eyes.
Fans Really Got Into The French Of It All
What’s pretty adorable about the social posts for The French Dispatch is how many people looked to make a day or event out of going to see the movie. There are tons of pictures of people in front of the movie poster and taking other people along to go see it. The movie is also influencing people to buy into the movie’s very French fashion.
Goes to see the French Dispatch once pic.twitter.com/HrMjt4TuVKOctober 31, 2021
Wes Anderson is clearly an influencer of his day and you know a movie is good when people are basing their own looks on a film after seeing it. The French Dispatch employed a ton of awesome fashion looks throughout, and it seems like fans are grabbing onto that.
Me in theater watching the french dispatch pic.twitter.com/cRwAbbqABUOctober 31, 2021
And, there’s just something about the French language and culture that is just so much fun to emulate and be a part of. The French Dispatch seems to be so immersive to some audiences that they are joking about learning French, too.
me after finally watching the french dispatch pic.twitter.com/Fto2Fyntg0October 30, 2021
Alright, we talked about the performances, the visuals and how it’s affecting audiences, but what about their thoughts on the movie overall? It looks like it’s winning over a ton of people by that measure, as well.
The French Dispatch Is Another Beloved Wes Anderson Feature
The messages about the movie itself are just delightful. So many people are loving The French Dispatch, and it shows. It may not be a huge blockbuster, but it’s touching a lot of people. One fan shared his love for the script and performances, especially singling out Jeffrey Wright for his performance.
Great to go the cinema again to watch the superb @french_dispatch. Visually beautiful (set in 1960s France) with a rich funny script & endearing performances by a great ensemble cast - with my standout being @jfreewright. Wes Anderson is easily one of my favourite directors. pic.twitter.com/zmmq2TFrs7October 31, 2021
Another devout fan of Wes Anderson called The French Dispatch one of Wes Anderson’s best movies to date. He also called it quite emotional and even referenced a quote in it that stuck with him.
THE FRENCH DISPATCH: Nothing will unseat my beloved TENENBAUMS, but this is so clearly among his very best. Dizzying and almost painfully specific with the points its makes. Sneaky with emotion, too. Found myself flattened abruptly several times. “Old men who have failed.”November 2, 2021
We’ll end on one last Twitter user, who absolutely “loved” the movie for so many reasons. These comments make me want to jump out of my seat and buy a ticket right now. It’s great to hear The French Dispatch is another success for Wes Anderson.
I’m sorry to the haters and losers but I loved The French Dispatch. Overwhelming in the best ways, I started crying at one point and I think it was just out of pure joy which hasn’t happened to me in forever. Like flipping through the loveliest magazine you’ll never get to read❤️ pic.twitter.com/7p5XfXzZr8October 29, 2021
The French Dispatch is playing in theaters now. Check out CinemaBlend’s 2021 new movie release schedule to see what else is next for fans to react to.
Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.