Sponsored by
A review: Micmacs
(15) 1 hr 44 mins Stars: Dany Boon Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet Opens at the Belper Ritz on March 12th
A Jean-Pierre Jeunet film is an event: not just in that Micmacs is only his third film in ten years but also because he is probably the most inventive director on Earth.
There is almost proof enough in one view of his debut Delicatessen. His most successful outing Amlie has more creativity in the opening ten minutes than most moviemakers can muster in ten films.
Jeunet has himself described Micmacs as Delicatessen meets Amlie. It's disappointing that it's not quite as splendid as either, and Jeunet's lead – French comedian Dany Boon - is no Audrey Tautou but Micmacs still delights for its imaginative, frolicsome flights of fancy and sheer offbeat charm.
Boon is a video store clerk down on his luck whose father died in a landmine explosion and when he survives a drive-by shooting that leaves him with a bullet precariously lodged in his brain, he vows to wreak revenge on the corporate arms dealers responsible.
In this, he is aided by a bunch of eccentric, clownish misfits who live in a fabulous Ali Baba cave full of salvaged scrap. These include a contortionist who curls up to sleep in a fridge; a wide-eyed savant with a genius for calculations; a mad inventor; and a human cannonball (Jeunet's pint-sized regular Dominique Pinon).
Their daredevil schemes have all the off-the-wall whimsy, wackiness and ingenuity of Heath Robinson on acid, with some scenes leaving you cooing and chuckling over their invention and enchantment.
It's no surprise to hear that Micmacs translates as 'jiggery-pokery'.
It's also unsurprising to hear that Jeunet assembles his films in the form of 'idea boxes with characters, scenes, bits of dialogue, memories, sets and location until those idea boxes overflow'.
What IS surprising is that he would appear to have no idea boxes marked 'plot' or 'storyline', especially given the narrative strength of his last two films Amlie and A Very Long Engagement. Ultimately, Micmacs is no more than a cheery romp, sorely lacking a romantic heart.
In spite of this, Micmacs is highly recommended for the strength of those overflowing ideas and its original visuals, all presented in Jeunet's trademark style whereby the off-kilter characterisations, extravagant sets and de-saturated colour combine to give the impression we are gazing on a dreamlike parallel world.
If you're new to Jeunet, do see Micmacs, especially if you're a lover of Tim Burton or Terry Gilliam who I believe are both eclipsed by Jeunet's genius.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Belper
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -4 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South west
