Movie Review: The French Dispatch at Pálás

If you're a fan of Wes Anderson's highly stylised and quirky film-making then you will adore The French Dispatch. What better way to enjoy it than with a pre-show Martini at Pálás Bar?!

Searchlight Pictures and Indian Paintbrush present an American Empirical Picture by Wes Anderson; The French Dispatch starring Bill Murray, Benicio Del Toro, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Timtohée Chalamet, Owen Wilson, Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan and... well the list goes on and on!

If the incredible cast is enough to whet your appetite, the movie's fast-paced start will have you salivating. Beautiful and evocative narrative launches straight into setting the scene; a team of writers, editors and illustrators try to piece together stories for the final edition of a The French Dispatch, a 'New Yorker'-style publication. The narrative script is breath-taking, forcing you to immediately pay attention to every detail, all of which are, of course, lovingly poured over. The cinematography and set design were particularly enjoyable to behold. Some scenes played out almost like a perfectly choreographed musical but, thankfully, without any of the tackiness that could have resulted. The cast, as expected, are perfectly understated and perfectly suited to their roles. Nobody takes the limelight, everybody does.

Anthological series, such as this movie, are defined by the ability for each story to stand up on its own, but also in how the whole collection complements each other. The eponymous French Dispatch is a European outpost of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun newspaper, intended to review and report back on a seemingly sleepy French village called Ennui-sur-Blasé. Each of the fantastical stories featured in the movie are based on topical events in the fictional town, but go on to tell so much more. You will be enthralled by each one, sorry to see it end and then immediately gripped by the next.

We caught a preview screening of The French Dispatch at Pálás Cinema and enjoyed a drink in their on-site bar beforehand. It really is the perfect way to set the scene and get you in the artsy-mood for this film. Pálás and Wes Anderson go hand-in-hand, if you ask us! Book your tickets to a screening at the beloved Pálás here.