The French Dispatch

he French Dispatch is a captivating comedy-drama that brings to life a collection of stories from an American magazine published in a fictional 20th century French city. This film by Director Wes Anderson (The Royal Tennebaums, the Grand Budapest Hotel) focuses on the final issue of The French Dispatch, a French foreign bureau of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun. A collection of short stories pulled from the pages of that very last issue, moves you from story to story by introducing each piece, complete with cover art, as well as page numbers. The film also occasionally dips back to the Dispatch itself, to walk you through its halls, meet its editors, and observe their interactions with the Editor in Chief, Arthur Howitzer Jr. (Bill Murray). Every story is told with unique uses of light, color, and style. The all-star cast included among others Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, and Owen Wilson. [2021, US, 101 min, Rated: R] Taryn Allen of Chicago Reader writes, “It has everything that we've come to expect from director Wes Anderson - carefully crafted aesthetics, perfect color palettes, and intricate tableaux of actors.” Amy Nicholson of FilmWeek exclaims, “I think it’s marvelous from minute to minute.”       Venue: Cinema Art Theater. Presenter: Rehoboth Beach Film Society.