The French Dispatch (2021)

Is it meant to be funny?

A series of stories/columns in a filmed version of a local magazine for fictional French town.

There’s a crazed artist in prison and how the art scene have to deal with its acclaimed priceless works being cemented into prison walls; very cool 1960s radicals and protesting French students; Lea Seydoux having fun (!) a strange cycling column (what to see in your local area… beware the feral choir boys rampaging around). I thought it was really funny — especially the 1960s political/French New Wave pastiche, which went into black and white and lots of smoking. Timothee Chalamet’s hair is a starring attraction in its own right!

Jeffrey Wright (Felix Leiter lives!) tells a strange tale of police, detective work, culinary genius chefs and kidnapped sons — part Tin Tin, part Pink Panther, part animation!

Not sure if it was meant to be funny, but it was! I loved the argument over what to put in the manifesto….And lots of proper French accents… and subtitles =)