Micmacs

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Jeunet has always been a master of the quirk, a French Coen if you will, but the eccentric characters that dotted the likes of Amelie and Delicatessen always found themselves rooted in a some kind of truth. In his new movie, Micmacs, that eccentricity has no grounding and as a result loses any emotional impact.

Bazil (Boon) is a video store clerk who lost his soldiering father when he stepped on a mine. Working late one night, Bazil witnesses a shooting outside the store and cops a stray bullet in his forehead. Miraculously, he survives but while recuperating in hospital, Bazil loses his apartment, his clothes and his job. Wandering the streets and making ends meet by performing for passers-by, Bazil is 'adopted' by a 'family' of quirky characters who live in a dump: among the crew is matriarch Yolande Moreau, long-time Jeunet collaborator Pinon and contortionist Julie Ferrier. Learning that the mine that killed his father was manufactured in Dossollier's factory while the bullet lodged in his head, which could kill him at any moment should it move, was manufactured in Marconi's factory, Bazil and his team of nuts concoct an elaborate plan to bring down the weapons dealers...

As expected from a Jeunet film, Micmacs is gorgeous to look at. His typical dark greens and browns shroud the visuals in a sepia tone while the imaginative sets have a certain Terry Gilliam style to them. The film looks expensive and every penny of it peers out from behind the cluttered corners of the screen. It's obvious a lot of thought and effort went into it and there's no doubt that Jeunet, a master filmmaker, accomplished what he set out to do - a modern take on a Charlie Chaplin escapade. This is a kid's movie for adults, a farcical romp that's supposed to put a smile on your face. The audience is urged to get caught up in the convoluted plot and guffaw in this ragbag team of nitwits who use their small skills to overcome evil corporations. An Ocean's Onze a la Jeunet.

All this, however, can't save the movie from being a dud and that smile will turn to a grimace brought on by annoyance before very long. Because the movie is played at such a high note, it's tough to care if the crew succeed or not. Since the movie is full with caricatures instead of characters, the audience is left with nothing to root for - Bazil's quest might be a noble one but this 'hero' isn't of this world. Even throwaway Hollywood comedies boast a character the audience can believe in. Kind of. Maybe Micmacs is funnier in French and a lot of the gags and mannerisms are lost in translation.