Netflix has benefited from the notion that creative types can come to the service — hungry for content — and produce projects with relatively little intervention. It apparently became a selling point (with cash, obviously) to attract marquee names, such as allowing director Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” to run “The Ten Commandments”—3 and a half hours. .
Known for his quirky features, Anderson is also allowed to run without a hitch in “The French Dispatch”, a meticulously crafted ode to magazines such as The New Yorker, to the director’s reputation. Thankfully, Hollywood gathers a virtual hoo-hoo of stars, including Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Timothée Chalamet, Saoirse Ronan, and Bill Murray — what amounts to their roles in the blink of an eye in some cases.
It’s lovely to watch, but also an almost non-fiction film. Adapting three bizarre “stories” from the pages of a fictional magazine, the gimmick represents a sweet tribute to theory that becomes increasingly tedious as it whimsically but unevenly drags on from sequence to sequence.
An assistant studio executive would have told Anderson that it was a lovely idea — worthy of a series of shorts, perhaps, for a hungry streaming service — but not exactly a movie. At least, not the one you can pay to watch multiple people.
In the end, Chappelle and Stewart are comedy heavyweights who have earned a lot of latitude but still feel inspired to move on.
In Stewart’s case, that meant turning his Apple series, “The Problem,” into a more traditional news magazine that took issues seriously and significantly reduced humor.
It’s not bad, necessarily, and reviews complaining about the lack of laughs missed the point, as the show doesn’t really try to achieve them. But a note may be that Stewart can capitalize on his comedic gifts a little more and still deliver the message, as he did on “The Daily Show.”
As for Chappelle, while the comic praises his role as a provocateur, it doesn’t seem unreasonable for Netflix—the network pays millions for its specials—to ask whether the stir with his past There is a need to revisit transgender issues on such a large scale after generating material about the transgender community.
“Dave, you’re a genius, and we support your right to express yourself,” the conversation might go. “But wouldn’t it make sense to move on to something else?”
Of course, there’s always the risk that Chappell would bow out. As he notes in the special, it’s not that he needs the money, or lacks options.
On the other hand, it’s not like Netflix, HBO or even the fledgling Apple, which is in dire need of a single piece of content.
Admittedly, officers are never the heroes in Hollywood stories. Over the years, plenty of artists have shared stories about brilliant projects that were rejected, from owners eager to creatively implement devastating changes to overcome obstacles.
The late comic writer Leonard Stern (“Get Smart,” among others) recalled that dynamic in the book “A Martian Won’t Say That,” which included actual boney notes (the title from the 1960 sitcom “My Favorite Martian”). Comes.”) sent by TV executives to the writers.
Sometimes, though, second guessers honestly have a point. And even the most talented filmmakers and actors need someone to say, “You know, just because a Martian can say that doesn’t mean it has to be. “
.