Film: Micmacs
Cast includes: Dany boon (The Valet), André Dussollier (Tell No One), Omar Sy (King Guillaume), Dominique Minon (Midsummer Madness), Julie Ferrier (Paris), Jean-Pierre Marielle (The Da Vinci Code)
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amélie)
Genre: Comedy (2009)
In brief: Brazil (the character in this movie, not the country) has every right to carry a grudge against weapons manufacturers. While serving in the French Foreign Legion, Brazil’s father was killed by a land mine. Then one night when Brazil is working at the local video store minding his own business, a stray bullet enters his brain and nearly kills him. At the emergency room the doctors agonize over whether or not to operate and risk turning Brazil into a vegetable… the flip of a coin decides. We next see Brazil living as a street person. When a street singer on one side of a lamppost sings, Brazil does a pantomime of her on the other side and collects money from passersby. His job at the video store was given to Lola. Tough luck, Brazil!
A chance encounter with Slammer is a lucky break for Brazil. Slammer introduces Brazil to “a family who’ll adopt him.” It’s a community of street people who live in a fantastic and whimsical house of junk. They scavenge all sorts of interesting stuff no one wants and repurpose it… in very clever ways. And there are other talents in the family… a contortionist, a human cannon ball, a human calculator, etc. Brazil is happy to pitch in and collect usable junk for the family… until he finds a new mission… his destiny, actually. As it happens, the two weapons manufacturers who produced his bullet and his father’s land mine are right across the street from each other in the outskirts of Paris. And Brazil decides they need to be punished. With the help of the family, their junk and their talents, Brazil puts together a diabolical plot for revenge.
If you think this sounds like a cartoon, you wouldn’t be wrong. Filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet blurs the line between live action and cartoon, using special effects to turn live action into fantasy. There aren’t a lot of huge laughs. It’s mostly chuckles as the whimsical events unfold. If you enjoyed Amélie, you’re likely to enjoy Micmacs. Two other films came to mind as I was watching Micmacs… Triplets of Belleville and The Fantastic Mr. Fox… both animated films. Micmacs is sweet, clever and very amusing.
3 popped kernels
Popped kernels for creativity, charm and funky humor. It's like animation, but it's live action.
Popcorn Profile
Primary Audience: Grown-ups
Gender Appeal: Any audience
Distribution: Art house
Mood: Upbeat
Tempo: Cruses comfortably
Visual Style: Computer effects
Character Development: Not that kind of film
Language: French
Social Significance: Pure entertainment
