While there are few hard-set facts when it comes to film, there’s one universal truth that can never be disputed: Jean-Pierre Jeunet needs to make more movies.
A director who began as a film-making team with Marc Caro before striking out on his own with such films as Amélie and A Very Long Engagement, Jeunet has, with only a handful of movies, established himself as a filmmaker who deals out quirky like he was a cross between Willy Wonka and Omar from The Wire — a street pusher trying to get kids hooked on weird yet entertaining visuals.
Micmacs, Jeunet’s latest film, continues many of the visual themes that carry through Jeunet’s filmography. From the warm color tones to the near-seamless blend of the mechanical and the organic to the very actors that keep popping up in his films, Jeunet’s Micmacs is a close relative to the films that have come before. What separates Jeunet’s latest, though, is its relatively heavy plot points — albeit, heavy plot points are made even heavier due to the fact that Jeunet coats them in a thick candy shell.
Dany Boon is Bazil, a fatherless young man who has his life turned upside down when he finds himself caught in the crossfire — and not the cool Stevie Ray Vaughn kind of being caught in a crossfire either.
A bullet wedged in his noggin after Bazil finds himself standing in the wrong spot during a gang shoot-out, the young man faces life with a constant reminder of the accident when his surgical team decides to leave the bullet in due to the risks that come with removal. Returning home from the hospital, Bazil learns that having to deal with airport security metal detectors is going to be the least of his problems as he’s been evicted from his apartment, had his job given away to somebody else and is now completely poverty-stricken.
As Bazil attempts to begin his life as a homeless man, the audience is shown just what kind of man they will be rooting for. Bazil is a kind-hearted Charlie Chaplin-esque rouge that doesn’t even have a mean streak in him large enough to let him pull a scam successfully. Boon plays the character as a sometimes wacky, sometimes intense loveable looser — like a early 20th century hobo mixed with Jamel Debbouze.
Seeing his good nature, a gang of underground misfits adopts Bazil into their clan — helping him get back on his feet and eventually seek revenge against the weapons manufacturers who have plagued Bazil’s life. Besides the bullet in his brain, weapons dealers were also indirectly responsible for the death of Bazil’s father when his pop stepped on a landmine.
Micmacs is, at its core, an anti-war profiteering film. As two rival weapons dealers, actors Nicolas Marie and Andre Dussolier are mustache-twirling cartoon villains who audiences wouldn’t doubt for a moment their willingness to tie a damsel to a railroad track if it meant an increase in profits. The film paints the issues at hand with such broad strokes it becomes a bit hard to take them seriously. Jeunet, who has always filled his film to the brim with minute details and cram-packed visual depth, spent more time on the brush strokes than the big picture. Micmacs is a highly entertaining and charming movie but never quite manages to become as important as its message seems like it would like to be.
Micmacs is presented in a 2.40.1 widescreen ratio. The film’s lush color palette and vibrant detail are quite clear and accounted for in the movie’s DVD transfer. The film looks damn good thanks to Jeunet and cinematographer Tetsuo Nagata and the DVD does a great job showcasing their work.
The film’s soundtrack is presented in French with Dolby Digital stereo. The audio mix is very good with the music, which features new score by Raphael Beau mixed in with archival score by Max Steiner, and the film’s dialogue perfectly attuned to each other for a pristine presentation. There’s nothing to complain about with Micmacs on DVD.
Audio Commentary — There’s a highly informative feature film commentary from director Jean-Pierre Jeunet in English. Jeunet gives a full rundown of the film’s production — offering plenty of behind-the-scenes anecdotes to keep fans of the film entertained.
The Making of Micmacs — At 47 minutes, this compilation of behind-the-scenes footage follows the film from its production all the way to its release. By no means an EPK, the feature is mostly raw footage strung together to tell the story of the film’s production. Presented in French with English subtitles, this feature is highly recommended.
Q&A with Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Actress Julie Ferrier — Shot during the Tribeca Film Festival, this ten minute post-screening Q&A is an informal chat with the director that covers quite a bit of info in a short amount of time.
Animations: Absurd Deaths — A very brief two minute segment on the making of some of the film’s animated sequences.
Micmacs Trailer
With Jeunet’s trademark visual panache and charming performances from a supporting cast that includes Dominique Pinon, Julie Ferrier and Yolande Moreau, Micmacs never ceases to be fun or charming. The anti-war profiteering message comes off as more of an afterthought to Jeunet — who seemed more concerned with audiences having a good time than leaving with an important lesson learned. That’s OK by me, though — as a Jeunet film and a good time go together like French and fries. Or bad jokes and me.
Sony Pictures presents Micmacs. Directed by: Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Starring: Dany Boon, Andre Dussollier, Nicolas Marie, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Yolande Moreau. Written by: Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Guillamue Laurant. Running time: 105 minutes. Rating: R. Released on DVD: December 14, 2010.
