User reviews

For this review I'll assume you've seen Amélie which, if you haven't, you should see this instant before even finishing this sentence.

Ok you're still here (or you're back). As we saw in Amélie, director Jean-Pierre Jeunet gave us a visual feast displaying his original quirky style that can best be described as "cinematic OCD". Everything about a particular shot is meticulously designed: lighting, camera angles & movements, settings, props, action, dialogue and even music are carefully choreographed down to the most microscopic detail, prompting you to wonder if, in a parallel universe, Jeunet would be one of those guys you read about in the Guinness Book for having collected the toenail clippings of 5 generations of Kennedys. This style lends itself to great comedy, almost like a Rube Goldberg drawing that depicts some fantastic, enormous mechanical device whose purpose is to dispense toilet paper. We immediately smirk at the fact that someone purposely went to all this trouble to deliver something totally absurd. In "Amélie" (and in his 2 prior masterpieces "Delicatessen" and my favorite "City of Lost Children") Jeunet mixed this wacky, absurdist style with a really compelling, human story that was fleshed out with great character moments to contrast the absurdity. However, here in "Micmacs" the balance is tipped very heavily toward the absurd but without the human element that gave us such satisfaction in his earlier works.

I'll give you an example with the opening scene. The very first thing we are shown is a man being blown up whilst trying to diffuse a landmine. The scene is played from a distance without any context, and it rapidly cuts to a quirky, surrealistic reaction, which makes us play off the entire event as a joke. Dark humor, the same way we see someone in Pulp Fiction get their brains blasted all over the back seat of a car and the next minute we are laughing at the bizarre squabbling between Travolta & Jackson. This is a great way of presenting dark comedy; however it cannot carry an entire 1hr 47 mins. Eventually we need a human story or at least a challenging plot to give us the backbone.

I purposely avoided mentioning the plot until now because the plot is truly not the focus of this film. The story is about a man who is trying to exact revenge on the 2 sleazy weapons dealers who ruined his life, and to do this he enlists the help of a team of bizarre circus-performer-type outcasts whom he meets at a junk yard. That's really the entire plot for 1hr 47min, straightforward, with a few wacky surprises here & there but nonetheless very linear. And the problem is, much like with the 1st scene, Jeunet doesn't invest any time in trying to set up a human connection between the audience and the main character.

As a quick aside, I want to point out that Jeunet had originally cast Jamel Debbouze (the loveable grocery boy in Amélie) as the main character, but according to Wikipedia "artistic and financial disagreements" prompted Jamel to quit the production after 3 weeks. His replacement Dany Boon plays the role very emotionlessly which is kinda interesting in its own way, but as I keep saying, after 1hr 47min you realize that the film has failed to make a human (emotional) connection with you.

Ok that's the bad. Here's the good (and believe it or not I DO recommend this film, but I'm just trying to temper your expectations if you are a rabid Jeunet fan like me). The technical artistry is unparalleled. The amount of work, planning, rehearsal, and sheer vision that went into each shot must have been enormous. In the Making of Micmacs featurette we get a taste of that, and we realize how much attention was paid to the tiniest detail like what postage stickers would go on a box that appears on screen for only 0.75 sec. So if you're into cinema for sheer art's sake, don't miss this flick. You can check my review history to see how many hundreds of films I waste my time watching, and I can honestly say that I can't think of another film that comes close to this level of pinpoint precision.

In addition to the amazing composition & choreography of each shot, we get Jeunet's signature surrealist style which puts us in a timeless state of mind. Even though the story happens in contemporary Paris, it's a very nostalgic look, making us feel like we're in a different world altogether. If you watch movies to escape from the reality of life then this flick is definitely for you.

I enjoyed this film, but you can probably tell that I didn't enjoy it as much as Jeunet's prior films, particularly his first 3 ending with Amélie. If you're new to Jeunet you might want to start there rather than diving straight into this barrage of quirkiness. The title itself translates as "Non-stop shenanigans" and that's exactly what we get.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet's 'Micmacs' has definite echoes of his first film 'Delicatessan', a wonderful aesthetic (a strange mixture of world war two and contemporary), a story with an edge of darkness, but also with a quirky heart. It's more whimsical than that earlier movie, but fun in the manner of the best cartoons - indeed, it's rare to see a live action movie more imbued with a cartoon-y aesthetic, and the its visual imagination bursts from every scene.. Perhaps there isn't quite enough at stake you make you care desperately about the plot: it's a tale of bad people (and their downfall), whereas 'Delicatessan' was a (much scarier) story of a whole world gone bad. But it's a fun, sweet film with a definite sense of its own style: there's not too much not to like here.

By the director of Delicatessen and Amelie, this is closer to the earlier one. It's that mad jumble of images and daring camera-work again. And again it turns out to be a film quite unlike the one you were expecting. I'm sure someone has said this somewhere already, but it's worth repeating. I'm talking about Fellini on acid.

After an electrifying prologue in which our hero is orphaned, the screen explodes into a big-budget retro Hollywood opening and the story begins.

Almost right away our man Bazil, played by star of the French screen Danny Boon, is wounded by a stray bullet, losing his job after a long spell in hospital. He's saved from oblivion by a family of freaky misfits who live underground, surviving by rescuing the junk society throws out and giving it new life.

What Bazil really wants is to get his own back on the two arms manufacturers who messed up his life, and his new friends are the perfect mates for carrying out such a scheme. They include a human cannonball, a numbers genius, a circus contortionist and a robot inventor, and their plots are just as wacky as they are.

Talking of plots, the story, packed though it is with fantastic imagery as if it were a story about bad adults written by very clever children, races along regardless. The scene where Bazil gets shot is itself so much more than a simple zap with a bullet. It's a short film in itself, and the whole thing is full of chunks like that. It really is too much to eat at one sitting, and I would recommend a second look. You'll probably see me there, in the front row, my jaw in my lap.

This typically quirky film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet involves a group of outcast oddballs who team up to take down to arms merchants. It is high in ingenuity but rather lower in audience connection.

Bazil, who lost his father in a landmine explosion and almost lost his life in a shooting, discovers the makers of the landmine and bullet are across the street from one another and persuades his friends to help him drive them out of business. This involves a series of wild exploits that play out like human Rube Goldberg machines.

The movie is at its best in an airport scene in which an intricate plan unfolds while Bazil, disguised as an airport worker, keeps accidentally guiding passengers around the airport. It's funny and clever but it also turns out to be the highlight of the film.

There are other ingenious moments, but in between the movie tends to flag. The oddball cast has a certain overall charm but no character, including Bazil, is that relatable. If every scene were as good as the airport one that probably would be fine, but downtime always reminds you that you're not that drawn into the characters.

There's also a flaw with the film's politics, which are rather half-baked. The movie is all about corrupt, underhanded arms dealing, but of course war is not fueled simply by greedy arms merchants but by governments and wannabe leaders who buy and use these weapons. To protest those that sell weapons while ignoring all the other components of war is hardly a protest. At most, it's a complaint that people who sell grenades and landmines should obey the laws.

If you're a fan of Jeunet you should take a look, but it's certainly one of his lesser films.

When you think of revenge movies you generally picture a guy with a gun taking a swift and direct action against everyone who has ever wronged him. Guns are a theme here but not because our lead character, Bazil, uses one to fight injustice but because two prominent French arms dealers are responsible for his predicament. Bazil's father was killed by a landmine and Bazil himself is unwittingly shot by a stray bullet during a drive by shooting. Though he survives, the bullet remains in his brain causing him regular discomfort and meaning that he might die at any moment. This adds an underlying tension to the fairly subtle story as Bazil, out of work with nowhere to live, finds comfort with a group of fascinating sideshow style vagabonds who eventually become his allies in his battle against the greed, murder and manipulation of powerful arms dealers.

Aside from a truly riveting series of sly, witty and purposeful acts by this band of revengers, the film is also striking in its beauty with every scene presenting an intense array of colours fusing with incredibly intricate and detailed backdrops. These prevail particularly with the 'sideshow' who recycle scrap in to wonderful creations fresh from a fifties cartoon short. At one point Bazil sees a segment of an old cartoon where a character shoots another in the head. This depicts the correlation between the real world here and an animated fantasy-land with the epic and extremely clever revenge plan played out in much the same way that Sylvester chases Tweetie Pie or Wyle E.Coyote stalks Road Runner.

The films only fault is that sometimes is all almost too imaginative, barely allowing the mind to recollect what has happened before twenty or so other things occur, each steeped in a tranquil haze teasing the viewer's eyes like a mirrored tunnel encompassing a silent disco. Wonderfully indulgent movie, a treat for the eyes, ears, nose and mind.

Jean-Paul Jeunet, director of "Amélie" and "A Very Long Engagement" returns with "Micmacs", the story of a lonely misfit named Bazil (Dany Boon), who after being accidentally injured in a shoot-out, is adopted by a band of other misfits. Together, they take on a band of arms-manufacturers whose products respectively injured Bazil and killed Bazil's father, by triggering tension between them.

As with previous films, Jeunet has produced a world of slightly-distorted reality, much like a dream. Although it does begin somewhat slowly, this is hardly a flaw, and the eventual escalation of the tension between the two forces of evil is truly winning. The ending, which I won't elaborate upon, is also delightfully funny.

There is one slight issue that I did have, which is not too big and actually has little to do with the film itself, but is still worthy of mention. As someone with a degree in French, I did find that the English subtitles were in some scenes passable yet not excellent replications of the original. Equally, I found it quite annoying that the subtitles provided in the British cinema version were clearly done for American audiences. I have nothing against American English, but it would have been nice for us over here in the UK to have had our own subtitles as opposed to a loan of the American ones. Yet enough with that groaning; "Micmacs" is a great near-perfect little film and I can recommend it wholeheartedly.

I saw 21 films at the 2009 Toronto Film Fest, and while many of them were good, this one was the best by a wide margin. If you've liked any of Jeunet's movies in the past, you can put this one down as a sure thing (provided that your favorite isn't ALIEN RESURRECTION). All of the Jeunet elements you love -- colorful, quirky characters (in this case, a whole gang of them), other-worldliness, incredible color schemes, chain reactions, etc. -- in a new concoction that doesn't feel repetitive or derivative in the slightest. As a sympathetic character with a gift for physical comedy, leading man Dany Boon can hold a candle to Chaplin and Keaton. It's simply a masterpiece ... the kind of film that will keep me coming back to this festival forever.

I enjoyed this movie, and there's much to like in it. It's visually thrilling, and has some really creative props and sets. The characters are all charming, like a weird combination of street performers and a team of comic book heroes. It's like an extended version of the scene in Amelié where she terrorizes the fruit merchant, only here it happens to two characters (who blame each other for it). The traps and "heists" are all enjoyable as creative and cartoonish schemes, and I can imagine Jeunet had as much fun coming up with them hat I had watching them.

The only thing that is really lacking in this movie is the level of ambition. Jeunet has not set out to create a marvelous story, instead using his charms and creativity to create an fun little story that can be enjoyed by young and old. If there's a comment on weapons manufacturers, it's about as strong as a Disney comic. None of the characters has much of an arch through the movie, all of them ending up pretty much as they started (only in different circumstances). There's a love story, but it's only function is for some gags throughout. I'm not saying all of these are bad things - but just not what Jeunet seems to want from this movie.

I saw this film in France today and it's a very good surprise... I didn't know the plot of the story so the beginning was a little surprising, but gets quickly to the general atmosphere of the movie. A little crazy, but very well filmed, colorful, very good cast. Dany Boon is finally a great actor. I like idea to laugh at the weapon industry.

This film made me think of Slevin (those who have seen will understand).

If you know Jean-Pierre Jeunet's filmography you can blindly jump in. It's difficult to do quality and quantity, but when you see his work you have no doubt about what he choose.

I recommend.

I watched this movie last night on a friend's recommendation. I think I had semi-high expectations but/and I really tried to watch this with an open mind. But as hard as I tried to like this film, it just did not do it for me, well at least not enough.

MicMacs is a visually quite pleasing film with originality and odd characters, and a few laughs, but to me that was it. I would have walked out except I never walk out from the cinema, I have to watch movies to the end.. And I definitely don't regret seeing this film, I just wish it had been better ; )

To me the ending was the best part, and I'm not being mean, I just really think that was the best part of the film. Very funny and clever. I wish the whole movie had been as "rewarding".

I recommend seeing this movie because of its originality and smart ending, but don't have to high expectations. There's my take on this film.

Bazil as a child loses his father to a landmine in Morocco. 30 years later, Bazil is a video store clerk and filmophile. He gets hit with a stray bullet and hospitalized. He loses his job to hot girl Lola and is now homeless. He befriends ex-con Slammer and his band of eccentric junk dealers. When Bazil finds the weapons manufacturers that caused his misery, the oddball family get together to take revenge.

I just don't find Bazil that appealing or compelling. Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet creates another fanciful slice of France like Amélie. But Dany Boon is no Audrey Tautou. This is a visually inventive movie, but the characters aren't very interesting. They feel like a random selection of people from all the different colors and races selected by an advertising company. And I don't care about any of them.

French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet marks his return to the film world this weekend with Micmacs. For those of you unfamiliar with Jeunet's previous works, he is probably most known for his sugary goodness of a film that is Amélie. With Micmacs, Jeunet proves that he has not lost his touch.

We begin the film with a group of men in the desert. Each man is dressed in his best bomb-squad attire and is combing a strip of sand for landmines to diffuse. We focus on one man as he carefully locates and unearths a single mine. Just as he begins to diffuse it we are treated to a long shot of all of the men working as our friend blows up. The film zips away from this scene to the wife and son of the departed as they are informed of his death. Through several jump cuts, we are able to see that this event will affect the young boy's entire life. We then fast-forward to a small video rental store in modern day France. Bazil (Dany Boon), the young boy we previously met, is now fully grown and works at the video store. Bazil is presented as a simple and somewhat happy man with a love of film. He amorously recites the lines of the film he watches matching the cadence perfectly. At the same time, a high-speed car chase spills over into his world. As the chase passes by the video store, Bazil runs out to see the commotion. Just as he exits the store, a stray bullet flies out from the action movie taking place outside and catches him in the head, wounding, but not killing him. He is transported to a hospital where the doctor decides that he does not feel like chancing the surgery and leaves the bullet in Bazil's head.

As Bazil attempts to return to his life, he finds that everything has moved on without him. His apartment has been rented to someone new and his job has been giving to a cute young girl who gives him the bullet casing that was found in the street, remnants of the moment that changed everything. Bazil attempts to live a normal life, panhandling in order to get by. He is soon taken in by a group of eccentrics that will act as his family. While gathering junk he notices a building that bears the same symbol that was on the bullet casing. He then looks across the street and sees the symbol that was on the landmine that killed his father. The rest of the film then follows Bazil and his group as they seek to take down both companies.

The first thing that must be said about this film is how beautiful it is. Jeunet proves that a great filmmaker truly is an artist as each shot is more beautiful than the next. The viewer is never aware of just how fast the film often moves. Despite numerous jump cuts, a signature of Jeunet, the film feels very smooth, somehow avoiding the feeling that the film was edited by a child with ADD on a sugar high that often occurs with this technique. However, the film does have its flaws.

There is little character development throughout the film. The most well developed character, no surprise, is Bazil. The peripheral characters all seem to be one note jokes that are simply there to help both the story and Bazil move forward. I can honestly say that I cannot name any of the other characters in the movie, often referring to them as The Mother Figure, The Bendy Chick and That Human Cannonball Guy just to name a few. Of the eccentric group that Bazil runs with, each one has his own quirk with little to no development past that. The viewer is expected to accept these quirks and not dig any deeper into the characters. There truly is no fully three-dimensional character in the film.

Micmacs is consistently funny and ends in a way that will leave you smiling. The film is a feast for the eyes despite its lack of character development. If you like Amélie, you will like Micmacs. After five long years, it is great to be able to reenter Jeunet's world of whimsy.

After a long interval of six years,Jean Pearre Jeunet has brought us his new movie Micmac which is embellished with his as usual weirdly inventive imagination of real world, his trademark visual style which makes his movie adorably beautiful and the melodious soundtrack.

Micmacs is a story about a orphan basil who has a bullet in his head and the reason for him being a orphan and bullet in his head is the two weapon manufacturer companies which are run by very vicious and immoral peoples.The story is about vengeance of Basil from this two companies who had destroyed his life and in his revenge which turned out for me to be one of the most clever,wild and comic revenge plan,i have ever seen in a movie,he is accompanied by his underdog friends who are proficient in their own unique qualities and live together in a cave like home,repair second-hand household equipments.The movie is basically a satire on the weapon manufacturer companies who do illegal arm dealings just to make more profits and are responsible for millions of death and casualties over the whole world.But instead of being thought-provoking and efficacious the movie sticks to its style all the time which makes it emotionally less involving for the audience but very funny and comic ride.The movie had lots of funny and wild moments that kept me entertained all the time.

All the characters were strange and weird but very lovable that can only be emerged from the mind of Jean Pierre Junette.The sober and innocent character of Basil(David Boon) had the striking resemblance to Charlie Chaplin.a contortionist girl(Anna Ferrie) who is as flexible as elastic and also the love interest of basil.a calculator girl (MarieJulie Baup) who has exceptional ability to calculate anything. Tiny Pete(Michel Cremades) is an artist with a shy and cheerful face who can convert a junk into useful things.Tambouille(Yolande Moreau) is the leader of the family.We cannot imagine a Jean Pierre movie without Dominique Pinon in it and he was amazing as always in the very funny role of francaisse,a human-cannonball.

Cinematography was stunning,the exquisite use of colors made the movie very easy and beautiful to watch.the art direction in the movie was also splendid which makes the movie visually attractive.

The weakness of the movie was its dialogues which were not touching and striking but remained funny all the time.More emphasis should be given to plot development,instead of relying completely on style and visuals.

Jean Pierre Junette is one of my favorite director and i always enjoyed his work.The best thing about the Junette's work is that even if his movie is based on real and present world,it never seemed like one.Like his other works,Micmacs is also full of weird and strange imagination, but this time it was lesser surrealistic and more realistic .However, Micmacs is not among his best creation,movie remained comic and funny all the time without any striking quality in it but movie surely is enjoyable and entertaining and worth a watch from everyone who loves Jean Pierre Junette movies and his world of beautiful and strange imagination.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet is probably the most exciting film maker today. Sadly, though, he isn't all that prolific. But, when he releases a new film I am sure to see it as so many of his movies are brilliant and 100% unique--something you can't say about most people in the industry. So far, he's only directed six full-length films but they include the wonderful "Amélie", "A Very Long Engagement", "Delicatessen" and "City of Lost Children". This is a veritable pantheon of weirdness--and I can't believe his track record.

The film stars Dany Boon ("The Valet", "Joyeaux Noel" and other films). He is severely injured in a senseless accident. When he gets out of the hospital, he's lost his home and his job. He survives by living on the street and using his wits. Eventually, he's approached by a man representing a group of weirdos who live among the refuse and scavenge. However, these are not ordinary homeless folks--many of them have amazing skills--such as extreme flexibility, the ability to act as a human cannonball, etc.. In many ways, they are a bit like the folks from "Mystery Men" or the TV show "The Head"--strange yet lovable.

Boon has an ax to grind. It seems that the bullet and gun that injured him was made by some VERY irresponsible arms dealers--the sort who have no scruples and like the idea of maiming as many as possible with their weapons. So, Boon decides he will destroy these man--and his new friends will help. Their plan is complex and much like what you'd see in an episode of "Mission: Impossible" if it starred people from a carnival! And, despite the seriousness of the matter, it all manages to be funny and a bit dark--but mostly funny.

The film has TONS of weird and almost impossible to describe moments. It's a great example of a film you can't really describe but one you just need to see for yourself--especially since Jeunet is such a visual director. And, it is well worth it for many reasons other than just the highly imaginative plot. The acting is great, the characters terrific and the director's style is second to none. See this film! And, if you do, look for all the odd looking characters--much like you'd do in a Fellini film. My favorite was the one bit character that looked for all the world like Marlon Brando!

The French are not renowned for their comedy films and if Micmacs is anything to go by they still have a little way to go but this movie is not terrible , in fact at times , it's quite good. Danny Boon is a bit like a cross between Mr Bean and Marcel Marceau. His performance relies a lot on mime and facial expressions and he is certainly an interesting actor. The story starts of very promisingly. Bazil accidentally stumbles across the people who were responsible for making the mine that killed his father and maker of the bullet that remains lodged in his own head. The problem is the revenge process gets a little bit silly and slapstick. The characters are interesting but i couldn't help but feel i was watching a children's movie , despite a few adult scenes. I would have much preferred if this had been a bit more grittier. This isn't a film i can particularly recommend unless your a fan of French films or you like this genre.

The unfortunate well-meaning Frenchman Bazil (Dany Boon) finds himself wishing ill upon wealthy industrialists Nicholas Thibault de Fenouillet (André Doussillier) and Francois Marconi (Nicolas Marié), the heads of two corrupt artillery corporations, who are responsible for both the tragic death of his father when Bazil was a boy, and the silver bullet lodged in his head and set to explode at any moment. Assisted by an abnormally-skilled gang of other military victims, Bazil endeavours to bring down the two perpetrators and strike a damaging blow at the entire industry.

The aforementioned plot could potentially deliver a grim and bloodthirsty heist thriller, but French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet has other intentions. The opening scene in which the little boy Bazil (here played by the young Noé Boon) witnesses his father being blown to pieces amongst the familiar scenery of sandy deserts and Arab costumes, and the following event of Bazil being accidentally shot in the head by a rogue army officer, carry some suspense and sorrow. These serve as a succinct and sufficiently grave acknowledgement of the atrocities of terrorism, yet thankfully Jeunet has the intelligence and frivolity to drop the solemnity at this point, avoiding overstatement of the point and unleashing riches of wonderfully liberating and delightfully unpretentious entertainment.

Bazil's accomplices, or rather, kind and caring companions, are an extremely lovable and splendidly colourful bunch of very uncomplicated characters. Living in a cosy makeshift home, they support each other using their special talents, which range from the remarkable innovation of an expert inventor (a charming Michel Crémadès) to the incredible flexibility of a charismatic contortionist (Julie Ferrier's infectious spunk matches perfectly with Dany Boon's priceless quirks). Their plans to foil the two villains are extremely creative and utterly unexpected, providing most of the film's subtle and beautifully simplistic humour.

Although the film's simplicity does comes at a cost, dragging it far away from Oscar-worthy greatness. It also results in a slight lag in the middle, where its lack of depth truly takes its toll after the initial burst of exuberance momentarily ceases to resonate. However, this barren stretch of reel precedes and is redeemed by the ultimate serving of ingenious wit and hilarity.

All in all a sumptuous treat for everyone, proving just as effective across the language barriers.

From the plot, cinematography, screenplay and sound editing, you can find the techniques that define the french new wave are implemented very much in Micmacs.

Micmacs is a nice and an exotic story of our friend Bazil who wants to ruin up the two companies that ruined up his entire life by the assistance of his weirdest group of friends you'll ever encounter by using strange tricks and ways to succeed in their mission.

For me, I liked the movie as Jean-Pierre Jeunet, one of the leading people of the new wave cinema in this decade, will definitely take you in a very strange and a lovely world of his own, weather you'll experience it in Micmacs or any of his other films like "Amélie" or even "La cité des enfants perdus".

So in short, I recommend you all to watch the movie and enjoy it.

Micmacs a tire-larigot (2009); Directed by: Jean-Pierre Jeunet; Starring: Dany Boon, Julie Ferrier, André Dussolier, Dominque Pinon et al.

The announcement that Jean-Pierre Jeunet was making a new film made me happy and after seeing it I am even happier. Mr. Jeunet has delivered some weird, but exquisite films and this one is no exception. It is like a crossover between his earlier films with Marc Caro and his later ones. There are the whacky characters with weird hobbies from his earlier work, but it's not as dark as those. It actually has a bright atmosphere, like "Amélie".

In the film's opening we see a soldier failing to disarm a mine. Then follows a cut to some apartment in Paris where a phone rings. Some boy's mother picks it up and starts crying, while we're watching the boy's face sadden. Jeunet doesn't need any dialogue to convey what has happened. We move forwards in time and we see the now grown up boy, named Bazil (Dany Boon), working in a video store, watching a classic film. Outside a chase is going on, shots are fired and a pistol falls. Bazil stands up to watch this scene unfold, when he's hit by a bullet. The camera moves in on the TV screen and when that film ends, the Warner Brothers logo appears and "Micmacs" starts. The opening credits remain in the black and white of the finished film and a classic Max Steiner score plays gloriously over the credits, which was great to see once more on the silver screen. In these first minutes alone we already witnessed some of the most creative film-making of the decade. Jeunet has always been a very visual filmmaker and this prologue alone proves that he masters the art of visual storytelling. There's no need for dialogue. After the titles we see a doctor deciding Bazil's faith. Getting the bullet out of his head can permanently paralyze him and leaving it in can cause death at any moment. A coin decides for the latter option. At home he's in for a surprise though: his apartment has been rented out and his job has been taken. Luckily he can get his hat back from some neighboring kids, but that's about all he has left. He decides to earn money by performing on the streets, where he is picked up by Placard. He takes him to a scrap yard where he lives alongside other outcasts of society. These are all weird characters in the best Jeunet fashion. There is Tambouille, who takes care of them like a mother. There's Calculette, the daughter of a carpenter and a sowing lady, who can measure up anything and anyone with one look. There's Petit Pierre, who makes strange puppets from old materials (like a dancing dress). Then there's a person obsessed with his Guinness Book of Records entry for fastest living cannonball, Fracasse. Last but not least, there's the snake lady named Caoutchouc, who can assume all sorts of unnatural stances. And let's not forget Remington, who is part of the gang too. Their little society collects junk, making it into all sorts of sellable things, thus giving it a second life.

On a day though, Bazil finds the weapon manufacturers responsible for making the landmine which killed his father and the bullet which struck him. He decides to get his revenge, but only with the help of the unique talents of his comrades. His plan is weirder than you could possibly imagine. It basically involves getting the two manufacturers to destroy each other. How this is done is truly unique and very funny. They gradually turn up the heat and start irritating both in the name of the other. The way in which the plot moves forward and how the characters interact is typical Jeunet. It's by no means a serious film, but Jeunet delivers his fantasy world with great conviction, yet not taking it too seriously. That's why all of it works and makes perfect sense within this fantasy world and why it's great fun. Jeunet also provides a lovely touch by making some self-references. On multiple occasions we see our main hero driving past a poster of this film and in one scene he's eaves dropping on one of the weapon tycoons, when he accidentally lowers his microphone in the wrong chimney and overhears a scene from "Delicatessen". Another great touch was showing the power of modern day media like Youtube.

All actors played their characters well, with their strange characteristics brought forward in a very believable and endearing manner. Dany Boon shines in a performance reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin. He makes his character funny, touching and sad without the aid of dialogue, relying solely on body language. He does have some dialogue, but it is kept to a minimum. Dominique Pinon is a joy to watch as always. Although we've seen him as strange characters before, he remains fresh and he delivers another great oddball performance as Fracasse. Julie Ferrier plays Caoutchouc, who is in need of love and a great deal of attention and she acts really convincing. During the course of the film she and Bazil fall in love, which is shown very subtle. This makes it a joy to watch and when they finally kiss, it is such a tender moment. The other actors making up the gang are also wonderful, as are the two weapon tycoons. They're played by André Dussolier and Nicolas Marié and they make for very convincing villains with some bizarre habits.

Beautiful visuals and shots add even more, making this film a treat on all levels. It's incredibly funny and sometimes very touching, but above all it made me laugh and smile. The film still delivers a serious message about weaponry though, without it getting lost in the fun and without giving you a guilty feeling about feeling happy afterwards. This film is like a cool summer's breeze: completely refreshing.

9/10.

'MICMACS': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the french filmmaker behind such crazy and beloved cult classic films as 'AMELIE', 'THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN', 'DELICATESSEN', 'A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT' and 'ALIEN: RESURRECTION' (his American debut, which is actually the worst of the 'ALIEN' franchise), directs and co-writes (along with his usual partner of late Guillaume Laurant) this quirky live action cartoon. Much like Jeunet's other films the movie is filled with larger than life characters caught up in bizarre and even larger than life situations. It's part whimsical fantasy, part comedy and part political commentary (somewhat oddly) but for the most part it plays out like a live action cartoon. It attempts to be an homage to the classic films of big Hollywood's glory days but it's mostly just a silly little fantasy film that looks great and is full of wonder.

Dany Boon stars as Bazil, a movie fanatic and video store clerk who's life is turned upside down one night when he's struck in the head by a stray bullet from an automobile pursuit outside his store. He survives but is told he could die at any moment from the bullet which is still lodged in his head. He's fired from his job because of the incident (I had something similar happen to me) and left homeless on the street. He then hooks up with a team of junkyard dealers, each of which has a special talent. With them he finds a home and a loving family. After discovering the two weapon manufacturers behind the creation and distribution of not only the weapon that nearly killed him but also the mine that killed his father he devises an elaborate plan to get revenge and his new family is all to eager to help.

The movie has some really positive moral messages about love and friendship and the destruction and danger of weapons of war. It's got a big heart and a positive joyous attitude but the characters are too underwritten and as fascinating as the film is visually it lacks real substance. Technically it has all the strengths of Jeunet's other works but it is a lot of style over substance. Although it's hard to become wrapped up or involved in it it's still a visual blast and entertaining in many ways, much like an 8 minute 'LOONEY TUNES' cartoon stretched into a live action film.

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First of all, I decided to become a Director and not a DOP thanks to JP Jeunet after watching delicatessen. Then I became a fan of him, recognizing instantly any camera movement and cinematography without even knowing it was him.

Amelie came out and I thought, he made it, this is his master-piece, and it was. Micmacs, became an extreme disappointment. Jeunet trying hard to cash on Amelie and adding cameos, set designs, camera movements and cinematography from all his previous movies, not bringing anything new to the hardcore fans.

I think this film is not a challenge for JPJ. He MUST get out of his comfort zone and challenge him self with another genre, cinematography and actors.

JPJ, please do not ruin Delicatessen and Amelie. Leave those movies alone and do something completely different.