The French Dispatch is a 2021 comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson and starring an ensemble cast, including Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, and Bill Murray.
The film follows the staff of a fictional magazine called The French Dispatch as they put out their final issue, featuring stories set in the fictional French city of Ennui-sur-Blasé. The staff includes editor and mentor Arthur Howitzer Jr. (Murray), fact-checker and researcher fact-checker Lucinda Krementz (Swinton), and writer and journalist J.K.L. Berensen (McDormand). The magazine's stories cover a variety of topics, including an imprisoned artist named Moses Rosenthaler (del Toro) and the student riots that ensue from his incarceration, a food critic named Roebuck Wright (Brody) who finds love while covering the work of a legendary chef named Nescaffier (Mathieu Amalric), and a kidnapping plot that involves a wealthy family and their loyal butler (Edward Norton).
The French Dispatch is known for its distinctive style, which incorporates Anderson's signature visual and narrative tropes, including his use of vibrant colors and quirky characters. The film features several vignettes that are loosely connected, and it is structured similarly to a magazine, with each "story" separated by a title card.
Overall, The French Dispatch has been widely praised by critics for its unique storytelling approach, its charming characters, and its playful and whimsical tone.