The Rundown
More of a circus act than a film, this resolutely Gallic comedy is a lot of fun.
Why not try Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain
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Review by Geoff Scaplehorn
Micmacs à tire-larigot is a French film. This is, of course, obvious by the fact that all the actors parlez Francais, but I’m not simply talking about where the film was made. This film is as unashamedly French as the Eiffel Tower, the guillotine and proper Champagne. It is colourful, cheerful and bonkers.
Bazil (Danny Boon), who works in a film rental store, lost his father to a landmine when he was a child. After he is accidentally shot during a drive-by incident, the bullet lodging itself inextricably in his brain, Bazil loses his home and his job. He is found by a gang of similarly homeless scavengers, who seem to be the rejects from some kind of circus: other members include a former human cannonball (Dominique Pinon), a contortionist (Julie Ferrier) and a human calculator (Marie-Julie Baup).
The gang welcomes Bazil into their fold and make it their mission to bring down the two munitions companies responsible for manufacturing the mine that killed Bazil’s father and the bullet in Bazil’s head.
One of the munitions CEOs is a mean, miserly man and a bad parent. The other CEO collects body parts of famous dead people. Both of them are up to their necks in shady deals and industrial espionage. As far as politics go, Micmacs is definitely about sticking up for the little guy.
Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, when he isn’t destroying well-known sci-fi franchises, is best known outside of France for his kooky humour in Amelie and Delicatessen. That humour is present in Micmacs, but it doesn’t seem to translate as well as in previous films. That’s not to say that Micmacs isn’t funny – it is – but you can’t help feeling that relying on the subtitles to understand the film feels like you’re missing the joke.
The film is quintessentially French in its humour: much of the laughter comes from the physical comedy in the film, including Bazil, who is pretty much the definition of the sad clown. Indeed, the film feels at times as though it were actually a circus act with a story.
Visually, the film may be Jeunet’s greatest success. It is a sepia-toned work of art, with computerised special-effects mixing seamlessly into the fantastic, almost steampunk world. Occasionally, the film breaks the fourth wall with self-referential posters displaying adverts for itself, which – coupled with the multitude of obvious Hollywood film references – serve to remind us that we shouldn't take the story too seriously. Micmacs is very obviously made to entertain, even at the expense of making sense.
Which is fine and dandy, except that it leaves Micmacs feeling shallower than previous efforts from Jeunet. It makes little lasting impression once you leave the cinema, and – while it undoubtedly raises a smile – it lacks the feel-good factor of Amelie.
Still, Micmacs is an entertaining couple of hours, and far funnier than much of the most recent crop of Hollywood comedies and rom-coms. Worth a watch.
Bazil (Danny Boon), who works in a film rental store, lost his father to a landmine when he was a child. After he is accidentally shot during a drive-by incident, the bullet lodging itself inextricably in his brain, Bazil loses his home and his job. He is found by a gang of similarly homeless scavengers, who seem to be the rejects from some kind of circus: other members include a former human cannonball (Dominique Pinon), a contortionist (Julie Ferrier) and a human calculator (Marie-Julie Baup).
The gang welcomes Bazil into their fold and make it their mission to bring down the two munitions companies responsible for manufacturing the mine that killed Bazil’s father and the bullet in Bazil’s head.
One of the munitions CEOs is a mean, miserly man and a bad parent. The other CEO collects body parts of famous dead people. Both of them are up to their necks in shady deals and industrial espionage. As far as politics go, Micmacs is definitely about sticking up for the little guy.
Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, when he isn’t destroying well-known sci-fi franchises, is best known outside of France for his kooky humour in Amelie and Delicatessen. That humour is present in Micmacs, but it doesn’t seem to translate as well as in previous films. That’s not to say that Micmacs isn’t funny – it is – but you can’t help feeling that relying on the subtitles to understand the film feels like you’re missing the joke.
The film is quintessentially French in its humour: much of the laughter comes from the physical comedy in the film, including Bazil, who is pretty much the definition of the sad clown. Indeed, the film feels at times as though it were actually a circus act with a story.
Visually, the film may be Jeunet’s greatest success. It is a sepia-toned work of art, with computerised special-effects mixing seamlessly into the fantastic, almost steampunk world. Occasionally, the film breaks the fourth wall with self-referential posters displaying adverts for itself, which – coupled with the multitude of obvious Hollywood film references – serve to remind us that we shouldn't take the story too seriously. Micmacs is very obviously made to entertain, even at the expense of making sense.
Which is fine and dandy, except that it leaves Micmacs feeling shallower than previous efforts from Jeunet. It makes little lasting impression once you leave the cinema, and – while it undoubtedly raises a smile – it lacks the feel-good factor of Amelie.
Still, Micmacs is an entertaining couple of hours, and far funnier than much of the most recent crop of Hollywood comedies and rom-coms. Worth a watch.
People
Directed By
Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Written By
Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Guillaume Laurant
Produced By
Frédéric Brillion, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Gilles Legrand
Starring
Dany Boon,
André Dussollier,
Nicolas Marié,
Jean-Pierre Marielle,
Yolande Moreau,
Julie Ferrier,
Omar Sy,
Dominique Pinon,
Michel Crémadès,
Marie-Julie Baup,